Friends say farewell to Ponte Vedra father killed in Tropical Storm Imelda aftermath

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — More than 100 of Mark Dukaj’s family members and closest friends packed into the small chapel at the Ponte Vedra Valley cemetery and funeral home.

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They gathered to say their last goodbye to Dukaj, a local father who left behind a heartbroken son, two daughters and a wife.

“I’ll miss his ability, his, you know, his ability to make you laugh,” Linda Meserve said.

Action News Jax told you last week when this Ponte Vedra father of three died during flash flooding in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Imelda.

He was delivering a package from Jacksonville to California when he got caught in the storm.

The local father posted a video on Facebook of water rising around his pickup truck.

The next day, his body was found when the flood waters receded.

Friend David Plummer, who worked with Dukaj for 15 years, still can’t believe he’s gone.

“I’ve lost a lot of close people and in spirit he’ll always be with me,” Plummer said.

Meserve said Dukaj inspired her and she won’t forget him.

“I’m going to miss him greatly; he was a really good friend,” Meserve said.

Mark Dukaj’s family tells us they were too emotional to go on camera, but they wanted to thank the community for raising money for their funeral expenses.

To learn more about how to help Dukaj's family, you can visit their Gofundme account.

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