Luka Gudeli

1923 - 2015

Luka Gudeli
Oct. 18, 1923 - April 20, 2015
Resident of San Jose
Luka Gudeli, San Jose resident and native of Croatia, passed away on Monday, April 20, 2015. He was born in Poljica, near Imotski, Croatia, the second oldest of eight children. He left his family at 13 to go to work, returning a few years later to serve his military obligation during WWII. Injured in battle, he immigrated to Austria and eventually to the U.S. in the 1950s. Settling first in Duluth, MN, he relocated to San Jose, which would be his home for the next sixty years, most of them spent in the Rose Garden neighborhood. The house he shared with his wife Anka (who died in 1985) was a central meeting point for the close-knit Croatian community. It was in that house's basement where wine was made, meats were cured, music was played, jokes told and spirits were raised (and distilled). Luka and Anka were well-known and beloved parishioners of the St. Mary of the Assumption Croatian Church and among its founding members. Luka worked many jobs: a track inspector for Western Pacific Railroad, an orchard worker in Santa Clara Valley and a builder at Larson Ladder in Santa Clara. He was in charge of maintenance for Cupertino's Red Coach Restaurant where he worked until retirement. In his spare time, he cooked for church functions, catered private affairs, played music, went dancing, tended his vineyard and made wine. Until well into his 80s, Luka enjoyed working in his yard, going to dances, cooking and bragging of his life's exploits. He is survived by his four children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.