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Dr. Theodore W. Sudia, PhD.

  • On April 15, 2015
  • 19 Comments

Dr. Theodore William Sudia, Phd., age 89, of Pittsburgh passed away peacefully at home on April 15, 2015.

Born on October 10, 1925, in Ambridge, he was a son and the youngest of the eight children of the late Paraskeva and Frank Sudia.

Preceded in death by wife, Cecelia Elson Sudia and daughter, Norah Sudia Davies, also by siblings Anna, Frank, Marion, Victoria, Helen and Daniel.

Survived by son, Frank Sudia, daughter, Rachael Sudia (Keith) Boivin; grandchildren: Samuel, Cecelia Iris and Aaron; sister, Dorothy Evancho; and by many, many nieces and nephews.

Ted received the Eagle Scout Award in 1938. He proudly served in the US Naval Reserve during WWII as a radar operator on the YMS-200, a minesweeper in the Pacific. He received his doctorate from the Ohio State University in Plant Ecology/Plant Physiology. Ted held the position of Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota and later became the Chief Scientist of the National Park Service, where he retired after 25 years of service in 1995. He was a founding member of the George Wright Society an organization dedicated to the protection, preservation and management of cultural and natural parks and reserves through research and education.

A memorial will be held on Sunday April 26 at 2 pm in the Galbreath Chapel at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2040 Washington Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15241.   In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Dr. Theodore William Sudia, Phd. to the George Wright Society (georgewright.org) or to: Laurel Highlands Council, Boy Scouts of America (http://lhc-bsa.org)

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Cremation & Funeral Care, 3287 Washington Rd., McMurray, PA 15317, (724) 260-5546.

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19 Comments

Charles van Riper III
Family and Friends of Ted, It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Ted Sudia. He was certainly a remarkable person. As a young NPS scientist, I would sit in awe during lunch in the DOI basement listening to Ted "hold court." Ted certainly influenced my thinking and that of many other people. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on in the GWS society.
Ben
So sorry for your loss. My condolences to the whole family.
Kate Kendall
Dear Family and Friends of Ted, I am so very sorry for your loss. I have not been very good at staying in touch with Ted over the years but that is in no way a reflection of the debt I owe him. He was directly responsible for the fascinating and gratifying career I had with the National Park Service and US Geological Survey. He hired me when I was fresh out of an undergrad degree from the University of Virginia, exposed me to all sorts of science issues in the DC office of the NPS, including the controversy over grizzly bear management in Yellowstone NP, and enthusiastically encouraged and supported me when I decided to pursue graduate work with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team. Ted was a mentor and an inspiration. I will be forever grateful for the wonderful opportunities he made possible for me.
Edward Hessler
I met Dr. Sudia when I was a graduate student, never thinking I'd see him again but several years later I did some contract work for him (as chief scientist NPS). What a grand man (and Cece was also in every way remarkable). He made a lot of people members of an extended family and I'd never know who had been at his home or was coming tomorrow. I slept in an unfinished laundry, a library overlooking Lincoln park and sometimes a bedroom. A key was always available and you could come, go as you pleased and eat with them or earlier or later. We listened to music, watched films and mostly talked. Ted was filled with ideas and tried them out through talking (I think). One of my favorite and still remembered conversations was in a heavy rain on a very small back porch. Ah, the tin roof. I was involved in the forming of a small not-for-profit with Ted as leader (Institute for domestic Tranquility). He had a capacious heart for everyone and was always pushing and helping you along. The Sudias were a joy to know and I am delighted our paths crossed for a while. What a wonder and how wonderful to know him.
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