On Monday, January 18th, Steven R. "Duck" Mudrak, loving husband, proud father, and adoring grandpa, passed away at the age of 66.

Steve was born on May 10, 1954 in Menominee, MI to Patricia (VandenBranden) and Ronald Mudrak. He graduated from Washington Park High School in 1973. Steve met his future wife Diane when they were in 7th grade at Mitchell School. Though distance separated them during Steve's Army tours, they remained friends. When he moved back to Racine, they dated, and were married on March 3rd, 1984, and together they raised two children, Jay and Janet.

Steve earned the nickname Duck as a kid when, as a talented track runner, he ran with his toes pointed out – like a duck. The nickname stuck! As a result, he had a vast collection of 185 ducks, although he got a different number every time he counted.

Steve spent many years officiating basketball and football games with Racine Lakeshore Officials and RYS. He enjoyed the years he spent working at Lee's Hardware and delighted in chatting with the many customers he met before retiring to care for his grandchildren.

Steve proudly served in the US Army for 31 years, 4 months, and 12 days. Whenever he ran into one of his Army buddies, it turned into gut-hurting laughter as they exchanged stories, including how he became known as "Sparky", the time he ran over his buddy's brand new station wagon with a tank, and the many nights his friends spent on Duck Watch after consuming a few too many Bloody Marys.

What Steve was most proud of was his family. He was a family man to his core. When Steve spoke of them, he had a twinkle in his eye. He loved going out to dinner or doing home improvements with his wife. He bragged about his children and their successes. He was so proud that Jay followed in his footsteps and joined the Army. He boasted that Janet was a "school teacher" and loved visiting school to set up her classroom and go to basketball and football games. They relied on him for advice, laughter, and love; they knew they could call on Dad for anything they needed. His grandchildren have his heart. He was at every sporting event and concert. He'd willingly play any game they asked or do the same puzzle a hundred times. He was Lucy's hero, Sam's biggest fan, Jameson's meatball, and Luca's Buddy. Steve sang the loudest Happy Birthday in the room and snored the loudest at every holiday gathering. Even when admitted to the hospital, he was proudly sharing pictures of his family with the nurses. At the end, "he could hardly breathe, but with every breath he asked for his family."

Steve brought light to everyone he met. He would walk into a room knowing no one and leave with a new group of friends. He enjoyed camping trips, game nights with friends, bringing kringle to anyone and everyone, and making people happy. Maybe you were one of the lucky ones he referred to as "one of the bell brothers – Ding and Dong".

Rest easy now, Duck Watch has ended.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Pat and Ron, and his brother John.  Left to cherish his memory are his wife Diane; his children Jay "Little Duck" (Amanda) Mudrak and Janet " Shortround" (Matt) Carpino, and his four grandchildren, Lucy, Sam, Jameson, and Luca.  He is further survived by his sister-in-law Denise Krueger, brother-in-law Larry Haas, nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

Service Details

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at the Draeger-Langendorf funeral home.  Full military honors will follow. Interment will be held privately at Southern Wisconsin Memorial Veterans Cemetery.  A visitation will be held on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Please click this link to view the service live https://youtu.be/VV2fwS2mpyc This link will still be active after to view at any time.