Louis J. Podrazik

Dr. Louis Joseph Podrazik, 63, of Davidsonville, passed into eternal life on July 26, 2018 from acute myeloid leukemia.  Lou was a devoted second generation Polish son to Louis Henry and Ellen Podrazik of Middle River, MD.  After his mother passed away when he was 10 years old, Lou remained forever grateful to his older sisters Ellen (Tom) Miotke and Judy (John) Antonitis for helping raise him. 

Lou excelled in academics and athletics his entire life.  While at Overlea High School in Baltimore County, he was voted president of the National Honor Society and served as team captain of the soccer team, which won the state championship his senior year.  Lou then attended the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) on a scholarship and served as team captain of the soccer and baseball teams.  In addition to being selected as JHU’s Robert Scott Scholar Athlete of the Year, he was also named a Worth All-American and Academic All-American his senior year. Lou graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Whiting School of Engineering in 1976 with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and later earned his MS & PhD from JHU in the same field.  He was also a member of the ATO fraternity. A proud Hopkins supporter, he enjoyed teaching there years later as a member of its adjunct faculty. 

Lou lived in Cockeysville for 11 years while employed by Westinghouse and later Bendix. In 1989, he moved to Davidsonville, where he worked for the Institute for Defense Analyses and then the Department of Defense, where he experienced his most fulfilling work.  A brilliant and humble engineer, “Dr. Lou” was renowned for his technical expertise.  Beyond the workplace, Lou had gifted hands and took great pride in doing his own work around the house.  He was highly motivated and could fix anything.  Lou’s greatest loves were his children, restoring old Corvettes, driving his John Deere tractors, and helping his friends and neighbors with their car or tractor repairs.  His best memories involved his life in sports, from his own to his children’s many games and road trips, and spending time in Lou’s Nature World and Preserve. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Suzanne (Leftwich) of Davidsonville, children LCDR Kurt (Beth) Podrazik USN of Pace, FL, Natalie (Ricky Chang) Podrazik of Brooklyn, NY, and CPT Mark (Kimberly) Podrazik USA of Odenton, MD, and five beloved grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations for JHU undergraduates in need to the “Whiting School Hopkins Fund—Student Financial Aid” @ www.rising.jhu.edu/giving hopkinsfund.

Over the last 18 months, Lou received hundreds of platelet and blood transfusions. Every donor was a hero. As a special request, please consider a future blood donation to the Red Cross, as Lou’s life came to depend on it.   

The family would like to extend sincere thanks for the outstanding, compassionate care rendered at Johns Hopkins Hospital by Dr. Stephen Sisson, Dr. Amy DeZern, Dr. Bashar Safar, Helen Byrnes CRNP, and all of the wonderful nurses and paraprofessionals in the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Infusion Center and inpatient floors 5A and 5B. God bless you all.