Hudak

Mark Hudak, 64, of Gibsonia, passed away peacefully at his home on Babcock Boulevard on Thursday, June 4, 2026, surrounded by his family, who adored him.

Mark was born Jan. 17, 1962, in Gibsonia, and spent his life turning ordinary things into deliberate expressions full of meaning and intention. There was no task too mundane for him to push toward the limits of perfection and creative expression and if he couldn’t take something to that edge, you simply wouldn’t find him doing it.

A mason who built many homes in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, Mark was an artist who made beauty out of stone and brick. He was also one of the hardest workers anyone knew and he understood his craft in a way that would be near impossible to replicate today.

He loved his family so much that one of the greatest things he leaves behind is the house we grew up in. Built entirely with his own hands around the house he grew up in himself, it was his expression of loyalty to where he came from and the power one has to rewrite their story. In it, he offered his family a better future with strong ties to their origin. He takes with him decades of knowledge and skill that lived only in him.

A great musician and a rock ‘n’ roller, he taught himself the guitar by ear, long before the internet, and mastered it with conviction and soul. An energy came out of his playing that there aren’t words for. Mark was a Pennsylvania outdoorsman who hunted and fished the North Hills and in Central Pennsylvania long before you could buy fancy gear to do it, mastering it instead the slow way, through years of knowledge of the land and wildlife. He tied his own flies and made little miniature sculptures that each carry the same energy you could feel from him but never quite name.

Uniquely and relentlessly funny, Mark loved to mess with people. As creative about his bullying as he was about everything else, he’d work an angle, set something up and wait for it to land. You were never quite sure if you were in on the joke or the subject of it.

Mark felt everything deeply and moved through the world with a layered sense of mystery. You always knew there was more happening under the surface than he’d ever say and it was this depth that drove the intensity he brought to the way he loved, to his loyalty and to the standards he held. You knew right away if you’d stepped outside his vision of how things should be. His honesty could cut, but it came from the same place as everything else in him: He cared too much to pretend. Mark was sharp and tender, mysterious and exacting and was always so much greater than the sum of his parts.

Mark is survived by his loving wife, Amy Runco Hudak, his life partner since age 14, who stood beside him through his best and darkest moments; his children, Sara and Jack Hudak; and his grandson, Jack Jr., who was the light of his whole life. He was the brother of Gary, Steve, Marylou, Stephanie, Georgetta and the late Robert and Norbert. He was also dear to the Runco family, who adored and welcomed him as one of their own.

HUDAK — Arrangements for Mark Hudak, who died Thursday, June 4, 2026, have been entrusted to MCDONALD-AEBERLI FUNERAL HOME, 238 Crowe, Mars. There will be no visitation at the funeral home.

We’re holding a celebration of life this Sunday, June 7, from noon to 6 p.m. at Steamworks Creative, 4967 William Flinn Highway, Gibsonia. We’d love for you to come hang out. Bring a cooler of your favorite drinks, your tailgate setup and your stories. Music kicks off around 1:30 p.m. inside Steamworks, and outside the lot will be full of people tailgating and hanging around.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to assist the family with final expenses are gratefully accepted.

Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.

Please sign the guest book at www.butlereagle.com.