John Thomas Dudinetz

DUDINETZ, John Thomas, 71, of Seffner, Florida, died March 7, 2016. Born November 18, 1944 in Elizabeth, N.J., he moved to Tampa with his parents John & Sarah Dudinetz in the early 50’s; Johnny was 5 at the time. His folks brought their T.V. with them, but unfortunately they had to wait to use it. Tampa had not caught up with the new technology; so their T.V. had to sit and collect dust for a while. Johnny attended Brewster Technical High School in Tampa and after his graduation he joined the Navy and was stationed in Pensacola, Florida; the home of the “Blue Angels.” In 1965, his aircraft carrier (U.S.S. Lexington CVS 16) sailed up to “The Brooklyn Navy Yard.” One enchanted evening, his eyes met those of a beautiful woman across a crowded room at the Paradise Grill; It was love at first site for both of them. Her name was Carol and 6 months later they married in Pensacola, Florida where their first child, Linda, was born. In 1967 they moved to New York. Johnny worked as a building superintendent until he made a top grade in testing for a job as a Stationary Engineer at the Down State Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1970 he transferred to the state psychiatric hospital in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Their second daughter, Deborah, was born in Queens, N.Y. just prior to them moving to Red Hook, N.Y. On July 11, 1971, they welcomed their son, John Timothy; who was born in historical Rhinebeck, N.Y. Jump forward 6+ years; Carol & Johnny moved back to Tampa. Johnny was employed by the City of Tampa Water Works where he retired in 2010. He is predeceased by his son, John Timothy Dudinetz who passed on November 26, 2006. Survivors include his loving wife of 50+ years, Carol Mathisen Dudinetz; daughters, Linda Heffner, Deborah Douglas. Carol and Johnny have been blessed with nine grandchildren, Elise (husband, Mostafa & their son, Mohamed), Scott, Meagan, Ryan, Eric, Ruth, Anthony, Logan, Victor; three great-grandchildren Madison, Mohamed, Levi. Special thanks to our son-in-law, Craig and our cousin, Eileen who sat with Johnny during the night watches. Visitation will be Monday, March 14, 2016 at 1:00 p.m., with funeral service at 2:00 p.m., both at Hillsboro Memorial Funeral Home, 2323 W. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, Florida.