Heti, your post made me realize that I haven’t seen any posts by Stu Dudley in a long time, either. I did a quick google search an, of this is him, it looks like he passed away last August. I don’t remember anyone mentioning this on Fodors. Very sad, he was such a great contributor, especially in regards to France, especially Provence.

https://patch.com/california/sanmate...s-august-20-26

@ tracilee -- How sad! Thank you for your research and your post. I wonder: Maybe you should start a new thread on the Europe forum to let people know of Stu Dudley's death? Many of us benefited from the generosity with which he shared his knowledge and experiences.

This is possibly consistent as there have been no posts since July 2024. But his profile was last logged-in as of February 2025. Unsure if the log-in is another family member or what this may mean.

I know he had (has) a spouse but unsure if she had a fodors account.

Oh no! How sad about Stu Dudley! The name is the same so it must be him, right? He was an invaluable contributor.

Have been missing Stu's participation for a while - that's terrible news (unclear how to corroborate this). We must start a separate thread - one of the kindest and most helpful contributors on Fodors.
Ive dropped a line to his email ID, lets see.

Oh no, that’s sad news indeed. Stu was one of the kindest and nicest Fodorites, generous with his tips and sharing the guides he’d put together for various regions in France. He loved Provence and I seem to recall his was planning another trip there last fall. RIP Stu, we will miss you! 🙏

I can start a new post. Not sure if it belongs in Europe or the Lounge, probably both. I’ll start one on the Lounge and moderators can move it if they want.

I didn't mean for farfeldog's thread to be hijacked. Thanks for looking him up tracilee. Sad news. I also posted on your Lounge thread.
Hopefully people will still benefit from his postings.

I wonder why no obituary.
Was Stu Dudley his real name? Might it have been a "screen name", to disguise a real name such as Dudley Stuart?

The link tracilee provided shows Stuart Dudley was his real name. Not everyone has an obit published.

We created a new thread with the information about SyuDudley

Stu was incredibly generous with his knowledge, with his famous European itineraries that so many of us followed, to his postings about his beloved California. He will be greatly missed. I'm so sorry about his passing and will miss him dearly here.

RIP, Stu, you were a Fodor's treasure.

I am also very sorry to hear of Stu's passing. He was very generous with his amazing knowledge of France. This is a great loss to Fodorites and to his family. My respects.

Lavandula

So Sorry

So sad. Someone mentioned him in January during the LA fires (wondering if he lived in SoCal) and for some reason I thought he had replied. Looks like he passed last summer and was 77. Stu always reminded me of the great John Talbott who was on Chowhound for years and gave out great Paris restaurant advice. One really starts to feel like you know fellow message board people after all these years.

Stu's style was a classic and always full of information. We will miss his contributions and like others, felt a kinship with him. RIP

I met him, that was his name. He was as wonderful in person as he was on this board. RIP, our friend.

I am sorry to read this. Stu was always willing to offer advice, at length, when I asked. The notes he sent me on Italy several years ago runs two dozen pages, single spaced, as do the notes on Dordogne he shared. He will be missed.

I'm also sorry to read this. Stu was a great asset to these forums, esp. Europe/France. He'll be very much missed.

Meant in the best way:

Someone else could pick up Stu's mantle, perhaps using a screen name ("Stu's spirit" comes to mind).
Someone middle-aged, not 85 (like someone I know well), so that the baton of Stu's posts didn't need to be handed off every 5 years.
Someone who could collect Stu's posts from the various forums, and reply to future posters in need of Stu's wisdom. The need continues into the future.