Violet Hudzik

It is with broken hearts we announce the passing of our beautiful mother Violet Marjorie Hudzik, who passed away September 26, 2024. Violet was born May 30, 1928 in Campbell, the middle child of Thomas and Anna Justine (Rugole) Zlatich who had emigrated from Bolfan, Croatia years before.

When she was 8 years old, the family bought a house at 114 Prospect Street and moved to Struthers where the children grew up. She was a proud graduate of Struthers High School's class of 1946, and served on every reunion committee becoming the class historian. After graduation, Violet was employed at the Prudential Insurance Company where she made life-long friends.

On April 19, 1952, she became the beautiful bride of her handsome Thomas Joseph "Tim" Hudzik at St. Nicholas Church where they were married by Fr. Robert Fannon. They soon built their home at 367 Creed Street where they raised their three children. After their children grew up, they moved to Poland. She was a loving, devoted mother, and referring to each of her children as her favorite. She was proud of her son's carpentry skills, telling the doctors at St. Elizabeth's Boardman, "My son built this hospital."

She and her husband were active in their children's school lives, attending lessons, practices and games when their daughters were majorettes. A lover of adventure, she planned annual family vacations all over the US and traveled to three continents. In 1983 she took a special trip was to Croatia with her daughter where they were reunited with and entertained by the Croatian family her parents had left 70 years earlier.

In her 70's she spent months in Phoenix enjoying the company of old and new friends. A year after the death of her husband on October 17, 1989, her children encouraged Violet to return to dancing. Dancing was her life-long passion, beginning with dancing with her sister to their father's violin music, culminating in winning Jitterbug, slow piece and polka contests. She believed "you paint a picture with your graceful movements." Loyalty and memories were of the utmost importance to Violet.

She maintained life-long friendships with friends from kindergarten, her pen-pal Madge Lozich with whom she began corresponding at age 12, and her Prudential office mates. She was the consummate story-teller since her memory not only recalled with pinpoint accuracy dates, people, and events from her earliest years, but also placed her back at that time to experience the feelings and emotions of the past. She loved beauty, whether in nature, people or Big Band & Latin music.

She was beautiful, inside and out. Devoted to her family, she cared for her mother, then her husband, and finally her sister Beatrice and brother Joey in their last years so that they could pass away at home. She was meticulous about her appearance and modeled locally into her 60's. She led a full and interesting life. Violet felt God's presence in her life.

She was a devout Catholic who prayed a daily rosary ever since belonging to the Fatima Club at St. Nicholas Church as a young woman. When she became a mother and grandmother, these prayers were offered for her children and grandchildren. She volunteered at Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine Gift Shop until her last days.

She leaves her loving and devoted children Beth Ann (Thomas) Moran, Thomas (Cheryl) Hudzik, and Janice Nemick and her beloved grandchildren: Stephanie Hudzik, Melissa Hudzik, Ashley (Michael) Wilfong, Nicholas Nemick (fiancée Mollie Donnelly), Taylor Nemick, and Jarrett Nemick and step-grandchildren Luke Wellman, Jakeb Fry and Kaitlin Moran. She leaves dear nieces and nephews, especially Mary Ann Hudzik who dearly loved Mom and her stories.

Also very close to Mom are special friends whom she considered family: Angie and Tim Denmeade and their daughters Emily, Eliza and Olivia of South Carolina and Julie and Matt Lozich and their daughter Ann of Chicago. Violet's children want to express their love and gratitude to Violet's son-in-law, Tom Moran, for the loving kindness he showed to Mom during the eight years she lived with him and Beth Ann.


FOTO: Private