John L. Dudley

John Dudley, age 69, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully, on April 14, 2024, at the UF Health Leesburg Hospital in Leesburg, FL. Family and friends are invited to a Requiem Mass at 10:30 AM on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral, 530 Main Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Msgr. Richard Gilles will officiate, with burial to take place with Father Aruldoss at St. Boniface Cemetery in Waumandee, WI. Visitation begins at 9:00am prior to the Requiem Mass to reminisce and honor the life of John.

John was born on August 30, 1954, in St. Peter, Minnesota to Donna and Edward Dudley. He was a proud resident of both Onalaska, Wisconsin, and The Villages, Florida.

John was a man who embraced life, loved, and lived fully with his special Irish sense of humor.  As John’s mother said, he spent his childhood living on the edge.  After graduating from Le Center High School of Le Center, Minnesota in 1972, he joined the United States Army and was stationed in Karlsruhe, Germany, in the 79th Engineer Battalion.  In his early career years he spent time as dispatcher/jailer in Le Sueur County, worked as an apprentice plumber and then worked in agriculture sales.  John married Mary (Sendelbach) at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral in 1980.  He graduated from Viterbo University with a business degree and worked as a stock broker for Blunt Ellis & Loewi. He later earned a Master Degree in Education from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse where John taught at Onalaska Middle School as a science teacher for over 20 years before retiring in 2011.

John’s most daring adventure entailed traveling along with Paul Bernabucci, Bill and David Maliszewski, and William and Edward Sendelbach on an epic cross country flying adventure from Winona, Minnesota to Fairbanks, Alaska in three light aircrafts. His daughter Katelyn was born in 1990. He and Katelyn spent their summers traveling with good friends on many father-daughter adventures. John enjoyed golf and especially enjoyed his time with his Thursday night mens golf friends.  John went on to become an avid bike rider who logged a life-time total of over 14,000 miles, which equates to over 5 trips across the United States. John and Mary were avid travelers and enjoyed several cruises all over the world.  Eventually they settled into snowbird life in sunny warm Florida so they could both enjoy bike riding year round.  In Florida he and Mary found an amazing group of friends who made fast memories in the 3 short years John was able to spend there.

He was preceded in death by his parents Edward and Donna Dudley, his brothers Dr. Stephen Dudley and James Dudley.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, daughter Katelyn of Seattle, Washington, his siblings Suzanne Hauge of St. Paul, Minnesota, Denis Dudley (Hortencia) of Phoenix, Arizona, sister-in-law Pixie Dudley of Lake City, Minnesota, and many nieces, nephews and of course the in-laws.  

Memorials are preferred to either Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II or St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral.