- Date Of Birth: June 13, 1926
- Date Of Death: April 9, 2008
- State: Connecticut
Chet Fudge, of Durham, son of the late Chester D. and Gladys (Manley) Fudge, flew quietly off into the sun on the morning of Wednesday, April 9th we are sure, in a favorite plane. He flew low for a bit, buzzed the house, waving goodbye to family and friends. Chet leaves behind his beloved wife of 60 years, Jeannette “Jen” (Loveland) Fudge; his three sons, Jon Peter Fudge and his wife, Maureen, of Westbrook; David Wayne Fudge of Durham, and Donald Jay Fudge and his wife, Colleen, also of Durham; and his daughter, Deborah Jean Long, of Philadelphia. His sister, Susan Toby Spahn and her husband, Eddie, formerly of Florida were able to say goodbye on their way back to Minnesota. His eight grandchildren, Erin, Sarah, John Patrick, Eric, Allarie, Brielle, Kim, and Rachel waved from East and West coasts. Great grandson, Jack had a short but happy time with Great Grandpa. Born in West Haven, CT, Chet spent nearly 82 years doing things “his way.” Self-employed for 50 years, he designed and built prototypes of many things, from lipstick tubes to Lunar Excursion Modules, from blenders to nuclear reactors…through his businesses, Modular Engineering, Inc. and IDS. Chet was an “idea” man, and many sought him out to solve the riddles of their design plans. His most recent project was to hand-tool and construct a full-size historic Gatling gun. Chet was proud to have served his country through the USAF during WWII, stationed in the Aleutian Islands and also served as a charter member of the Durham Volunteer Ambulance Corp. Chets friends were diverse and talented, and he enjoyed sharing his best Scotch while tapping their minds. He always said he spent his whole life doing what others hoped to do when they retired. No regrets. We all wish Chet blue skies and a good tailwind.
