Friends, Family Remember LTHS Student Louis Dudek

Not one person talks about Louis Dudek without mentioning his smile.

“He was always coming up with new jokes, always smiling; even if he was down he’d still be smiling and trying to make everyone else feel better,” said friend Sean Kaspar.

“What his friends all say is that he always had a smile on his face,” said his mother, Susan Dudek. “He approached everything with enthusiasm and never complained about anything, even when he was battling cancer for the last year. He was a really strong person.”

Dudek, 18, a Lyons Township High School student, football player, track runner and La Grange resident, passed away on Sunday after a yearlong battle with lymphoma.

A wake will be held from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday at Hallowell and James in Countryside.

Dudek was a passionate sportsman, enjoying hunting for pheasant and deer and fishing in Lake Michigan and local forest preserves. He was passionately involved with First Presbyterian Church both as an usher and as a custodian’s assistant. According to his Facebook page, he liked rock music, Harry Potter, "That 70's Show" and Ghostbusters.

“I always looked up to him—he always carried himself great,” said fellow senior Jill Marik, a friend of Dudek’s for seven years. “He was so optimistic. He had the strongest character I have ever known. He was always supportive. He really taught us the true meaning of courage through all his actions.”

The senior played offensive and defensive lineman for Lions football as a freshman and sophomore, and continued running track through his junior year even as he underwent chemotherapy.

“As soon as he got out of the hospital, he’d be back at school with his friends and at track practice, even if he couldn’t run, just to show support,” said Kaspar, who created a Facebook page for Dudek where dozens of LTHS students have mourned.

“He was one of the nicest kids you’d ever meet.”

Kaspar remembers Dudek sending him a gag “sweetheart” card, and Marik talked about spending hours surfing the Web together for funny videos.

“There are no words,” Marik said. “He was just a good guy. He’s forever in our hearts and I know he’s looking down on us and smiling.”

“He would never give up,” said his mother, Susan. “He was strong to the end, and he was always very optimistic.”