Richard Raymond Vajdak, Jr., 63, of Snook, Texas, passed away on August 24, 2024, after a brief and sudden illness.
A visitation will be held at Strickland Funeral Home in Somerville on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at Snook Brethren Church on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., followed by interment at Snook Cemetery.
Rick was born on March 21, 1961, to Richard Raymond Vajdak Sr. and Maryann Jakubik Vajdak in Bryan, Texas.
HegraduatedfromSnook High School in 1979.
He dedicated over 30 years of his career to Energy Transfer.
Rick has two children that were the absolute loves of his life, and they loved and admired him deeply in return. Dakota was born on December 6, 1990, and Khloe was born on September 5, 2011, to Gwen and Alexis, respectively.
Anyone who knows Rick knows that his world revolved around his children and everything he did was for them. He not only leaves an incredible legacy for them, but his love and kindness will also continue to live on through them because of the example he set.
Many people know Rick for his European skull mounts. He loved hunting, especially with his kids. He also loved helping turn deer heads into lifelong memories for family and friends from all over.
Many also know him for being very involved in and supportive of the local community.
He enjoyed gardening, canning his fresh veggies, growing grapes, making homemade wine, barbecuing and cookoffs, raising his cows, supporting his kids in sports, and most recently helping Khloe raise chickens for the fair.
Rick was loving, incredibly generous, full of jokes and laughs, and would drop everything to help anyone at any given moment.
Rick was preceded in death by his mother and father, Maryann and Richard Raymond Vajdak Sr.
He is survived by son, Dakota Vajdak and wife, Jane; daughter, Khloe Vajdak; beloved dog, Grace; brothers, Billy and Kenneth Vajdak; and sister, Pat Collins; along with their respective spouses; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends that felt more like family.
Pallbearers are Arnold Motl, Bruce Faust, David Faust, Edward Macik, Jimmy Joe Svec, Kevin Junek, Robert Rubach, and Travis Becker.
Honorary pallbearers are Billy Vajdak, Kenneth Vajdak and Patricia (Pat) Collins.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Snook 4-H, an organization Rick gladly supported.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Strickland Funeral Home. They invite you to visit their website at www.stricklandfuneralhomes. com and sign the online register book.