New Owners for Oklee Locker

There have been changes at one of Oklee’s local business August 2018. The Oklee Locker Plant is no longer John and Sue Dudycha’s business. After 25 years they have decided it is time for retirement and have handed over the keys to their son Kyle and his wife Jesi Dudycha 

Kyle, the fourth owner of the Oklee Locker Plant doesn’t have big plans at this time, but hopes that one day his son, Hunter will be the next generation to take over the family business. Kyle married Jesi in 2005 and they have three children, twins Hannah & Hunter Dudycha and Kelsey Sirjord. The twins are in 6th grade and Kelsey graduated from RLCC in 2017 and is now in college. Jesi for many years worked at MDV in Fosston but now works full time with husband Kyle at the meat locker.

The Oklee Locker dates back to 1947, but its roots actually came long before - in 1915. J. O. Melby came to Oklee from Torgerson, MN where he had an inland store in the Goodridge area. He bought a meat market here from Gilbert Olson which he operated, along with a grocery store until his death in 1944. His son, Arthur, changed over to a modern meat locker plant which he operated for 21 years starting in 1947.

Arthur Melby sold the locker plant on October 1, 1968 to Louis Violette. Louis (Louie) came from Brooks where he had operated a locker plant since 1964. At that time most butchering was done on the farmsite. When Louie and Marcella bought the Melby Locker Service, it became known as Violette’s Locker. They had, through the years, the help of their five daughters in the business - Karen, Linda, Susan, Marlene and Rosemary. In 1975 they replaced a lean-to which was connected onto the original building with a new addition to accommodate the increasing business and the slaughter and butchering of animals was done at the locker plant.

John & Sue Dudycha were the third owners of this Oklee business landmark. John, Susan and their children Kyle and Nicole Dudycha came to Oklee from LeSueur, MN. John received his meat cutting certificate from Pipestone Vocational School after graduating from high school. He then enlisted in the Navy under a two year program and served as a cook and meat cutter on a ship named the USS St. Paul, a heavy cruiser, which saw duty in Viet Nam. When he left the service in 1971, he was a meat cutter in Rochester, MN and then worked at the Super Value Store in LeSueur as a meat cutter.

After deciding to go back into the locker plant business, John & Sue started looking around this general area. Through Sollie Realty, they learned of the Violette Locker Plant being for sale and as they say, the rest is history. They also bought a 65 acre farm from Dennis Brinkman located NW of Oklee. 

Since purchasing the business in 1993, Dudychas have added a holding pen in the back, so clients can drop off the animal and not wait. They also have purchased a lot of equipment to make the work easier and better. Put in a new smokehouse. And have done a lot of updating in the building.

Oklee Locker Plant process all types of meats, including wild game. They do sell some meats over the counter and smoke hams and bacons with the smoke room that was added on by John and Sue. They have one employee at this time, Blake DeHate, who is full time.

And a family tradition has begun with the transfer of Oklee Locker Plant from John & Sue Dudycha to Kyle & Jesi Dudycha.