David Steven Hodulik of Ship Bottom, New Jersey, died on March 12.
Hodulik was the first child of George and Dorothy Hodulik, born prematurely on April 2, 1955. His life was miraculous, as he received baptism and Last Rights at birth and was expected to live only days. He grew up in Dunellen, New Jersey, where, from an early age, his “golden mind” tried to figure out how everything worked. He won science fairs and Pinewood Derbies. He was an Eagle Scout and a loving older brother.
Hodulik loved to learn about anything and everything, and he was brilliant. He attended St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, where he made life-long friends and became a Bruce Springsteen fan. After he graduated in 1973, he put himself through Rutgers College as a first-generation college student. In 1977, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering; in 1979, he earned a Master in Business Administration, also from Rutgers.
In March 1980, Hodulik met Deborah Ann Green in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spotted her from across a bar, and their perpetual love story began. They were married in Pennsauken, New Jersey, on August 7, 1982. While working as an engineer for Getty Oil and becoming an expert in building gas stations, he attended Temple University Law School at night in pursuit of his Juris Doctorate, which he earned in 1985. In 1992, Hodulik opened his own law and engineering practice through which he helped build countless gas stations across New Jersey by obtaining zoning approvals or drawing site plans—work he enjoyed and was still actively doing when he died.
He and Debbie raised their three daughters in a home filled with love, learning, and laughter in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. On weekends you could find David building or fixing—cars, decks, basements, sheds, and the like—always with at least one of his girls in tow. His life revolved around his family. Hodulik loved skiing, teaching his siblings in their youth during the 1970s, and started traveling to Vermont in 1980, eventually becoming a share in a ski house for several years in the 1990s.
He and the family especially enjoyed their vacations at Pico. There were memorable Easter Sunrise services. Besides skiing, he loved sailing, camping, and traveling with them. But he was always happiest when the whole family was “down the shore” on Long Beach Island. In 2013, he and Deborah moved to Ship Bottom, where he particularly enjoyed beach days with his grandsons.
Hodulik was a man of faith raised and remained a devout Catholic. Whether through his unmistakable boisterous laugh or his innate genuine nature, he had a way of disarming all who met him. The world will miss his infectious smile, boyish humor, unfettered kindness, and unique mind. He was truly one of a kind.
Hodulik is survived by his wife of 42 years, Deborah Hodulik; his three daughters, Laura Bourgeois and her husband Robert, Ann Querns and her husband Timothy, and Michelle Mavis and her husband Anders; his four grandsons Charles and Patrick Bourgeois, Paul and Maxwell Querns; his granddog Lucy; his siblings Michael Hodulik (Giuliana), Gerard Hodulik (Jackie), and Pamela (James Dozier); and his many nephews and nieces.
For expressions of sympathy, the family would appreciate donations to the David S. Hodulik Memorial Scholarship at St. Joseph’s High School, which can be made at stjoes.org/support/hodulik.
Dave and his wife
Dave loved skiing with family.
