Richard Earl "Rick" Hudelson Jr.
May 17th, 1961 - Feb 9th, 2020- Birth Date: May 17, 1961
- Death Date: Feb 9, 2020
- Funeral Date: Feb 15, 2020 at 2:00 pm
- Location: Ruebel Funeral Home
- Save: Print this Obituary
Biography: On the afternoon of Sunday, February 9, 2020, Richard Earl “Rick” Hudelson, Jr., left his earthly life too soon after suffering fatal injuries in a motor vehicle accident. He was 58 years old.
He was a loving, devoted, and generous husband, father, son, brother, and friend.
Rick was born May 17, 1961, in Richmond, Indiana. He graduated from Bloomington High School South in Bloomington, Indiana, where he was a talented player on the golf team. Thanks to golf scholarships, he attended Broward Community College, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1983. After working for Bynum Office Supply in Bloomington, he pursued his dream of flying initially in Dallas, Texas, and later became a flight instructor and private pilot. Upon moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, Rick became a corporate pilot, a position he held for the last 20 years flying for both Alltel, Westrock Aviation and Circumference Group.
In addition to his passion for motorcycles and flying, Rick enjoyed many challenging home improvement projects, playing golf, boating, his menagerie of dogs, time with family and friends at Lake Hamilton, and traveling the southern United States with his family in one of his vintage AirStream trailers.
Rick made friends easily, always had a smile, and, like his mother, never knew a stranger. He was generous with his time and energy and devoted to his wife, two sons, and dogs.
He leaves behind his loving wife and best friend of 23 years, Donna Kelso-Hudelson of Little Rock; two sons, Ryan Thomas Hudelson of Santa Clara, California, and John Kelso “Jack” Hudelson of Little Rock; his mother, Rita B. Hudelson of Bloomington; two brothers, David Hudelson (David Clingan) of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Marc Hudelson (Amy) of Fisher, Illinois; four nieces and nephews, William David Hudelson and Emily Anna Hudelson of Fisher, Rachel Hurst Kemp (Hamilton) of Little Rock, and Quincy Hurst (Kimberly) of Hot Springs, Arkansas; his mother-in-law, Wanda L. Mashburn of Hot Springs; his sister-in-law, Rita Hurst (Q. Byrum) of Hot Springs; a great aunt, Mary Lou Veit; and several great nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his father, Richard Earl Hudelson; his paternal grandparents, Earl and Louise Hudelson; his maternal grandparents, Otho Dwight and Anna Aura Baldridge; his father-in-law, Jerry Kelso; and his step-father-in-law William R. “Doc” Mashburn.
Rick will be remembered for not only his devotion and generosity but his fun-loving nature and the positive energy he brought to everyone who knew him.
A celebration of Rick’s life will be held on February 15, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. at Ruebel Funeral Home Chapel with reception immediately following.
Arrangements entrusted to the care of Ruebel Funeral Home. www.ruebelfuneralhome.com
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Rick’s honor to the Humane Society of Pulaski County, 14600 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72210. www.warmhearts.org/memorial-gifts/
I am so sorry to hear of you great loss. I met Rick a couple of times while in Bloomington, as via David and the rest of the crew, always warm and welcoming. I cannot express enough the feelings and sadness the family must be going through in this dark time. All I can say is my prayers and thoughts are with you all that Rick has left behind. Be strong in this difficult time. I wish I was there to comfort you all.
Love to you all
Chris Bandaranaike
England
Sha
I extend my deepest sympathy upon the loss of one of the kindest, fun loving, nicest guys I have ever met. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. So sad and sorry for your loss, Kathy
God be with you during this difficult time.
Steve and Cyndi Moore
My thoughts and prayers are with you for your loss of Rick. May our Lord lift you up with comfort and strength during this difficult time. God Bless! Brad
Dick was one of group of friends that were together in Dallas, Texas. For a while we were roommates at an apartment complex near the Addison, Texas Airport. At that time Dick was building hours as a flight instructor on the way to becoming a commercial pilot. The same hand-eye coordination Dick developed playing golf was put to use in flying airplanes.
Dick could really fly. Many times he would invite me to take a "Discovery Flight," meant to attract new student pilots. We must have set a record for the most Discovery Flights by the same person. The most memorable of these was the day that Dick coached me through a 360 degree loop in a Cessna 152. On that same flight, Dick made the plane fly backwards. At the end of every flight, Dick managed the landing in a way that minimized taxiing. You could tell by the radio exchanges, in which his requests were routinely granted, that the control tower personnel respected Dick's abilities.
Thinking back now to the flying, and other adventures reminds me that Dick found joy in everything he did. The big smile Dick flashed all the time made that very clear. It is by that smile - and all that it meant, that he is remembered...
Every best wish;
Joseph Schott