Luke Siudzinski
Luke’s time with the Knights of Columbus began at the invitation of his brother-in-law, a convert to the faith, who was a member of the Knights and eventually advanced to the Fourth Degree.  While he wasn’t quite sure what he was getting himself into, Luke took the First Degree way back on May 27, 1949.  So began a career in the Knights that has spanned nearly fifty years and has seen membership in three Councils.  He even thought about dropping out of the Knights at one point, but his wife Alyce convinced him to remain.

A native of Green Bay, Luke is 78 years old.  He attended Green Bay East High School and St. Norbert College (where he is a member of the President’s Club) and UW-Madison as well as several correspondence courses.  He worked for Proctor & Gamble for just under forty years, retiring in 1981.  In his time at Proctor & Gamble he did clerical work in accounting and served in shipping, planning and traffic departments.  He saw military service during World War II and served on the carrier USS Independence from 1942-1946.  He also has been involved in service to the community, serving as Town Assessor for Scott in 1975 and Humboldt from 1975-1976.  Since retirement he has been involved in numerous volunteer activities including driving a Red Cross van once a week, counting money at St. Bernard Parish, visiting elderly neighbors and helping a commission on aging to get groceries to the elderly.  He has also served at a receptionist at St. Bernard Parish in addition to various Knights of Columbus activities. 

After making First Degree and becoming a part of Council 617 in Green Bay, he transferred in 1973 to Council 5844 in Luxemburg, where he served as Financial Secretary for over eight years.  He very proudly displays a recognition plaque acknowledging his service as an Officer.  He also has a bowling trophy from the Knights of Columbus league bowlers at Western Lanes. He transferred to Council 10243 shortly after it was founded and has taken part in numerous Council activities including food stands, booyah sales and Tootsie Roll drives.  He has made it to several meetings of the Council and hopes to increase his presence in the future.  He is currently Third Degree and an Honorary Life member of the Council.

Luke married his wife, Alyce, in 1946 and they have two daughters (Alice and Joan) and four grandchildren.  Alyce hails from Cincinnati.  They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1996.  Despite all his volunteer activity, Luke still finds time for a few hobbies including stamp and coin collecting, gardening, woodworking, reading and card playing.  There’s also a little time for just sitting and watching television.  He is also learning to play the violin “again.”  His life story reads like a history of service and is a fine example of what the Knights of Columbus is really all about. His brother-in-law, now deceased, would have been very proud.

February 1999