Joseph Matthew Sudol

Joseph Sudol was born in Passaic, New Jersey, to John Sudol and Helen (Sumrok) Sudol, and was raised in Wallington, New Jersey. He spent many cherished years at his shore house in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, where he enjoyed boating, crabbing, and fishing with friends and family. In his later years, he made his home in Budd Lake, New Jersey. He also took great pleasure in collecting coins, trading baseball cards and other collectible trading cards, and in watching his favorite teams, the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. He loved 1950s music, enjoyed some country, Elvis Gospel-music to which he and Janice would often fall asleep-and counted Elvis as his favorite. He could talk the ear off any family member, friend, or total stranger he met, and his warm conversation was part of what made him so memorable. He also enjoyed his Seven and Ginger-always made with Seagram's Seven, never 7 Up-and would be mightily disappointed if it were made any other way; three-quarters Seven and one-quarter Ginger was exactly the way he liked it. He often joked that he was "born cold," and you would rarely find him sleeping without a heavy blanket, even in the middle of summer. Grandpa always enjoyed being around all of his grandchildren and cherished the time he spent with each of them. He was a longtime member of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Wallington, New Jersey, where he also spent his early years attending the parish Catholic school. He loved chopping wood and spending time by the firepit or wood stove in his homes. He previously worked at Custom Chemical in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, where he was both a truck driver and a foreman. He also worked for many years at Apollo Carpet, where he drove a tractor-trailer. He had a deep love for all of his dogs over the years-Gypsy, Patches, Sandy, Hoover, and his last beloved pup, Nickels, who passed away recently. He was preceded in death by his son, Roger Sudol, and by his sister, Maryann (Sudol) Shiko. He is lovingly remembered by his loving wife, Janice (Packard) Sudol, with whom he was married on December 12, 1964, and with whom he recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary; by Roger's wife, Jeanne, and their daughter, Jacalyn. He is also survived by his son, John (Jack) Sudol and his wife, Adriana, and their children, Zackery, Emily, Julianna, and Lucas; and by his son, Greg Sudol and his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Alyssa, Troy, and Jake; and many in-laws, loving nieces, nephews, and extended family members. He proudly served in the United States Navy aboard the USS America (CV-66) aircraft carrier, and he was rarely seen without wearing his cherished USS America hat. He will be fondly remembered for his love of telling wonderfully bad "dad jokes," often repeating the same favorite joke to everyone he met-always bringing a smile, and disbelief to his family who had heard that same joke at least a thousand times before. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joseph's name to St. Jude's Children's Hospital (www.stjude.org) would be kindly appreciated by his family.

Joseph Matthew Sudol

May 31, 1943 - February 10, 2026