Tyler Joseph Hudock

Tyler Hudock passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, August 23rd at 37 years of age. Tyler was born in Clarion, Pennsylvania to his loving parents, Ken and Amy Hudock, and grew up alongside his admiring siblings, Cody, Ryne, Mason, and Makenzy in Centreville, Maryland. He was the dearly loved husband and friend to Chelsea Hudock for 10 years and was a tender and playful father to his adoring children, Finley John and Duncan James. From an early age, anyone who met Tyler knew immediately he was a phenomenal talent with anything he pursued. Be it youth baseball, varsity tennis, football, or having fun setting up aquariums for the local irrigation ditch fish, Tyler did everything to perfection and settled for nothing less. Inarguably, his greatest talent was acrylic painting, which he did in water-color style. Van Gogh held no candle in comparison. Tyler painted for others, to include murals for the communities in which he lived in throughout his life, as well as epic paintings for family and friends. Whether it was a best friend slam-dunking on Michael Jordan, a brother grappling a bear, a cousin emboldened with Rogue’s electric force, or his oldest son as a knight riding his dragon dog through serene mountain air, Tyler brought fantasy and magic to life for all he painted. After spending the majority of his youth romping the fields and woods of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Tyler followed in his older brother Cody’s footsteps and joined the U.S. Coast Guard as a marine science technician, a pattern proudly followed by each Hudock sibling thereafter. In pursuit of adventure, Tyler accepted a job with the National Park Service as a law enforcement ranger at Padre Island National Seashore in southeast Texas, where he met a ranger lady with whom he became best playmates over firefighter training, tacos, beach walks, kayaking, surfing, saltwater fishing, and weekend trips to the Hill Country. Tyler’s next stop was Shenandoah National Park, where he traded saltwater fun for mountain hikes, road biking, camping, and hunting. To further his career, Tyler accepted a job as a criminal investigator in Washington, D.C. with the Department of Education, where he started raising a family of his own and found a way to enjoy the city for its bike paths, museums, kayaking the Potomac, and proximity to beautiful natural places. Tyler, a devoted father and selfless husband, resigned on two occasions to care for his sons after each was born for an extended period. After his youngest was born, Tyler followed his wife to Rhode Island where she accepted a position with the Coast Guard, adopting Tyler’s family business. Tyler prioritized his family above anything and was the best stay-at-home parent a kid could ever hope for. Every day was an adventure and Tyler looked to create magic and fun in the boys’ lives by going fishing, inventing activities like Play Mobile battles and Le Finlé Restaurant, building lego creations, backyard lightsaber battles, movie nights, bowling and arcades, and even occasionally jamming to Daddy’s “bear” music. And to match all the fun, Tyler also cherished nurturing his boys with tenderness, guidance, ukulele tunes, warm snuggles, reading books, and telling bedtime stories that brought us all dreamily into our own Huville Neverland. Finley and Duncan are two of the luckiest boys in the world to have had Tyler for a father, and the treehouse he built for the boys with his artistic mind and skillful hand will be a memorial for all time. Besides his wife, Chelsea, Tyler is survived by his two children, Finley (8) and Duncan (4); his mother, father, and siblings; aunts, uncles, and cousins; in-laws; and many friends, who will all miss him more than words can express. He is pre-deceased by his cousin, Daniel Fritz, and brother-in-law, Korey Aldrich. You are sincerely welcomed to join Tyler’s family for visiting hours to be held on Wednesday, August 31st, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, in the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, located at 88 Columbia Street in Wakefield, Rhode Island.