Jon Arthur Hudak

Jon Arthur Hudak

Beloved son, husband, father and grandfather entered into eternal life April 17, following a long illness. Jon was born in Great Falls, Montana, on May 2, 1941, to John and Rosalia Hudak (Latvala). Growing up, Jon enjoyed the frequent company of many beloved aunts, uncles and cousins. On Sundays the whole clan would gather at the Hudak homestead in Stockett where they were treated to their grandmother's Slovakian cooking. It was during these visits that Jon cultivated his lifelong passions for hunting and fishing as the men and boys of the family loved roaming the local hills in those pursuits. Jon also came early to his love of classic cars. As a high schooler he combined a Ford Model T body with a Model A chassis into a fun hotrod with the help of his dad who was a master mechanic.

Jon planned to become an engineer or geologist and spent two years studying at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. While living in Socorro, he found deep kinship with a close family friend and decided to follow him into the legal profession. Jon returned home and earned his B.A. and J.D. at the University of Montana, where he also belonged to Theta Chi fraternity. During his last year of law school, Jon assisted Prof. Albert W. Stone in revising the Montana water use code. After graduation, he taught law for a year at his alma mater. Jon joined the Army Reserve in 1966 and later served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he attained the rank of Lt. Col. He forged lifelong friendships with many fellow service members including his comrades in the self-dubbed "Select Six" and retired in 2001 with an honorable discharge.

In the winter of 1968, Jon passed the CA bar exam on his first try, and that spring he married Linda Beavers in Missoula, MT. The newlyweds moved to Oakland, California, finally settling in Orinda in 1972. Though Jon made California his home for over five decades, he remained a Montanan at heart and was a member of the State Bar of Montana for over twenty years. Jon always had a book or two or three close at hand and the last one he was perusing before he died was a well-loved illustrated biography of Great Falls painter Charles M. Russell.

Jon loved his profession, practicing law for fifty-four years in both the public and private sectors. As deputy county counsel for Alameda County, he began representing school districts throughout the East Bay Area and Northern California. His private practice spanned four decades with the last thirty-one years spent in Orinda, and included estate planning with continued focus on education and labor law.

When not at the office, Jon enjoyed flying his Cessna and restoring a Piper Cub Cruiser aircraft with friends, swimming, skiing with his family and fishing and hunting with his friends and son. He was a lifelong avid reader and enjoyed many genres from writers like Louis L'Amour, Ivan Doig and Jack O'Connor to the classics. As shown by his tattered and taped Bible, he took genuine pleasure in reading the Word. Jon was a true music aficionado and his family always thought he should compete on Name that Tune. With his wife Linda, Jon cultivated many long friendships, and together they enjoyed vacationing in Montana and going to the theater and movies. Jon loved being a father, encouraging and supporting both of his children in their varied pursuits including scouting and baseball (Russell) and music and academics (Lesley). He loved to Zoom his grandson's basketball games and cheer him on.

Jon was a true gentleman, and his kind and generous nature both endeared him to others and earned him the esteem of colleagues, friends and acquaintances. He was truly thankful for every day, and we especially remember him for his contagious optimism, hearty laugh and constantly cheerful outlook on life.

Jon is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Linda, daughter Lesley Ann (Orinda), son Russell and grandson Logan (Murphy, TX), brother Richard (Linda) and nieces Schuyler and Whitney. The family is deeply grateful to the staff of MD Choice Hospice for their invaluable support and precious caregiving in the last weeks of Jon's life. Jon is dearly missed but those who love him rejoice that he is at home with the Father. Cremation has taken place under the care of Hull's Walnut Creek Chapel, and the interment of ashes will take place at a future date at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Missoula, MT.