Leonard A. Hudak
November 30, 1926 - February 12, 2012
Wethersfield, Connecticut
Visitation: 4 ~ 7 pm February 16, 2012 at Farley Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Rd, Wethersfield, Connecticut
Mass of Christian Burial: 12 -pm February 17, 2012 at the Church of The Incarnation, 544 Prospect St, Wethersfield, Connecticut

Interment: 1 pm February 17, 2012 at Village Cemetery, Marsh St, Wethersfield, Connecticut
Leonard A. Hudak, 85, of Wethersfield, died peacefully at Salmon Brook Nursing and Rehab Center Sunday, February 12, 2012 after a long illness. He leaves his loving wife, Lavinia McDonald Hudak, and three children: Lori Simmons and her significant other, Joel Cook, of Woodbury, CT, Kim and her husband Asa Gage, of Woodstock, GA and Greg Hudak and his wife Kathleen of Avon, CT. He also leaves four grandchildren: Ryan and Daniel Simmons, and Sarah and Jennifer Hudak. He was also loved and appreciated by Lavinia’s family: Lavinia and Barry Kassel of Pound Ridge, NY, T. Kevin Barry and Karen Hoskey of Worcester, VT, Steven and Diane Barry of Deep River, CT, Brian and Rose Barry of North Smithfield, RI, Sean Barry of NYC and by his 11 step-grandchildren: Scott, Brett, Lara and Daniel Kassel, Sarah, Rachel, Jessica, Matthew, Meghan, Brendan and Kevin Barry. Born in Wilkes Barre, PA November 30, 1926, Len was the eldest of grocer Stephen and Pauline (Yatko) Hudak’s six children and was expected to take over the family business. But he was determined to follow a different path and in 1944, with his mother’s blessing, he entered the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, NY. He sailed to many ports and once even escaped a sinking ship in the Adriatic Sea. He graduated with a B.S. in Marine Engineering and went on to serve in the Korean War and eventually became a Commander in the U.S. Navy. Upon leaving the Navy he went on to employment at The Travelers Insurance Company as a safety engineer and worked in the New Orleans, LA and Little Rock, AR offices before transferring to company headquarters in Hartford, CT. Len worked at The Travelers for thirty-two years, finishing his career as Corporate Secretary. When moving to Connecticut, he, settled in West Hartford where he was active in community service and West Hartford politics. In 1983 he moved to Southington where he continued to enjoy working in local politics, rising to be elected Chairman of the Republican Town Committee. He worked tirelessly to attract new members, particularly young people. While living in Southington, Len and Lavinia oversaw a bustling, blended family that eventually included 15 grandchildren. In 2005 they moved to Wethersfield. He loved to travel and he and Lavinia visited many fascinating places around the world – even traveling to Len’s ancestral home in Slovakia where they were met and feted by an entire town of relatives and near-relatives. He was a communicant of the Church of the Incarnation in Wethersfield. He enjoyed bonsai gardening, dining out, social gatherings of all kinds and he especially enjoyed spending time with his family. He is pre-deceased by his parents and his brothers, Stephen and Paul and sister Polly Hardin. He is survived by his brother-in-law Howard Hardin and sisters, Barbara and her husband Dr. Paul Schnur and Irma and her husband, Jack Crozier along with many loving nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express its gratitude to all the staff at Salmon Brook for the exceptional care and support they provided to Len. Calling hours will be held at Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Rd., Wethersfield on Thursday February 16th from 4 -7pm. A mass of Christian burial will be held at the Church of the Incarnation, 544 Prospect St, Wethersfield at 12 noon on Friday, February 17th. Burial with Full Military Honors will follow at Village Cemetery, Marsh St, Wethersfield. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Wounded Warrior Project. (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/).