Alexander (Al) Sudul

Alexander John Sudul of Plano, Texas died Friday, March 27, of heart failure after years of declining health. He was 78 years old.

Known as “Big Al” to his family, he was born April 5, 1941 in Manville, New Jersey to Margaret Sudul, née Poch, and Alexander Sudul. Raised by relatives throughout his childhood, Al spent his formative high school years with his beloved uncle and aunt, William and Margaret Poch, and his cousins, William, Jr. and Rebecca.

He attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he majored in English and belonged to the fraternity Omicron Kappa Epsilon. In his senior year, he met his future wife, Cynthia Sudul née Segedin. They were married in 1964.

In 1966 Al was drafted into the Marine Corps, where he served until 1968. After leaving the Marines, Al worked as a copywriter at J.C. Penney in New York City, a job that ultimately brought him and his family to Plano in 1988. He worked for the Penney’s department store chain until his retirement in 1998.

He spent his retirement years doing what he loved most: reading thick historic biographies; tackling the New York Times crossword puzzle; watching movies, especially those by his favorite filmmakers Stanley Kubrick and the Marx Brothers; listening to music, a passion that covered a swath of styles from Beethoven to Ray Charles to Willie Nelson; and following the NFL with a voracious if misplaced devotion to the New Jersey Jets. (In his earlier years, he loved the NBA and PGA, but gave up after the retirement of his favorites, Michael Jordan and Arnold Palmer.)

His family will also remember him for his favorite hobbies in New Jersey—trout fishing with his son Alex and his New Jersey cousins; cultivating with precision and care a healthy victory garden; and beautifully playing the piano.

Al is survived by his wife of 56 years, Cynthia, his children Alex Sudul and Jennifer Sudul Edwards, his son-in-law Gavin Edwards, his grandchildren Dashiell and Strummer Edwards, his aunt Margaret Poch and his dear cousins William, Jr. and Kathleen Poch.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Al Sudul’s name to the Baylor Scott & White the Heart Hospital https://ctxfoundation.bswhealth.com/ways-to-give/memorial-giving