Joseph Mark Dudziak

Joseph Mark Dudziak (Chaplin Joe) passed away on October 27, 2025, after a long battle with cancer. He was born on March 13, 1959, in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to Edwin and Patricia Dudziak. Joe grew up in Los Alamos, and he was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping.

Joe joined the Air Force in 1977. He worked as an Air Force mechanic servicing F-15 fighter jets–the world’s most advanced fighter jet at the time. He served for 5 years, including a deployment to Germany at the height of the Cold War. Joe left active service as a decorated Air Force veteran.

After his military service, Joe took a year to travel the United States by hitchhiking. After seeing the country, Joe returned to New Mexico, and he started his career in the construction industry. He became a skilled carpenter and builder, and he was highly respected among his peers. As a highly trained Senior Building Inspector for Los Alamos, Joe applied his knowledge of building and construction to help shape modern New Mexico building codes. During this time, he founded an association of building officials in northern New Mexico.

Upon retirement, Joe embarked on a long-anticipated journey to Northern Alaska. He drove all the way to the arctic circle, dodging bears along the way. He completed his Alaskan journey with a polar plunge in the freezing Arctic waters.

In his retirement, Joe also became an ordained chaplain. He always said he was a chaplain–not a preacher–as a preacher preaches, but a chaplain listens.

Joe had a true passion for helping the homeless community, especially those living outdoors. After seeing the rise in the homeless population, Joe started to volunteer at the local homeless shelter, Pete's Place/Interfaith Shelter, where he became a key volunteer that always treated each person with genuine respect and love. He volunteered for over 14 inspiring years, he was there multiple times a week and always on Christmas. Joe noticed that many homeless people were living outdoors without receiving the supplies they needed, so he started buying supplies of his own and delivering them to homeless camps. Joe inspired other people to join him in helping the homeless, and Joe’s outreach to the homeless grew into an all-volunteer nonprofit organization: Chaplain Joe's Street Outreach (CJSO). CJSO will continue to support those living outdoors.

Joe is survived by his son Leo Dudziak, his sisters Kathryn Hoolehan (Sean) and Donna Moniz (Paul), his brother Bruce Dudziak (Laura), his uncle Don Dudziak, his nieces Jennifer, Elizabeth, Nicole, Brooke, and his nephews Walker, Johnathan and Daniel.

To pay respect to Chaplain Joe Dudziak, and to support CJSO, please make a charitable donation to Chaplain Joe Street Outreach at https://www.chaplainjoes.org or send a check to: Chaplin Joe’s Street Outreach, PO Box 6211 Santa Fe, NM 87502. He will be buried at the VA Cemetery in Santa Fe; Celebration of Life details will be shared in a future announcement.