Joseph Edward Zuban

Joe Zuban lived an extraordinary life, filled with life experiences that were made for Hollywood. Joe was known as a “force of nature” and everyone that came across his path in life, knew how truly special he was. Joe Zuban died at the age of 75 while in hospice care due to Stage 4 lung cancer.

 Joe was born July 23rd, 1948 and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was the son of Margaret and Joe Zuban. Joe loved his mother deeply and would often call her 3-4x everyday just to talk with her. Joe was the oldest of 8 and valued his relationships with his younger siblings. Joe often reminisced about childhood memories growing up in Lawrenceville, specifically how he used to enjoy scaring his younger siblings by dressing up as “The Boogeyman”, and how he and his friends ran the streets and use to scale a 50 foot wall at Forbes Field and risk serious injuries, just to see Roberto Clemente play. During his childhood, Joe suffered tremendous hardships. Despite this, he always found a way to love. Joe went on to attend Cooper School of Art and would ultimately be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War in 1968. Joe was discharged from the Army in 1970 and was awarded an Army Commendation Medal, a high honor for his brave and heroic efforts. 

 Joe met the love of his life, Pamela Salomon in 1975. Joe loved Pamela deeply and often referred to her as “Purple” or “Piney” or “Turk”. The two were married on July 24, 1976. Despite the trials and tribulations marriage brings, the two remained loyal to one another for 47 years. The two welcomed their only child Peter Joseph Zuban to the world on July 16th, 1983. Joe spent the first three years of Peter’s young life, serving as a stay at home dad. These years proved to be formative for Joe and  Peter’s relationship. Joe relished being a father and would go on to break generational curses that preceded him. On April 8, 2017, Joe became a grandfather to Merritt James Zuban. The only thing Joe loved more than being a dad was being a grandad  or “Pop” or “Joe” as Merritt would refer to him as. Joe and Merritt shared countless laughs together and would often enjoy dancing, singing and collectively being silly together. 

 Joe was a pet lover and had a soft spot for animals. Joe had the pleasure of raising legendary animals such as: Arf, Tucker, Timothy, Captain Crunch, and Geezer.

 Joe was a true, genuine friend to many throughout his life. His relationships with the Miller, and Adorjan families paved the way for generations to come. His best friend of more than 50 years Wally Miller, was there by his side all the way until the very end. Lucky was he to have a friend like him. 

 Joe was a passionate photographer and had a keen eye for “the right shot”. Joe was a music enthusiast and had quite the eclectic taste as some of his favorite musicians were but not limited to: Bob Marley, Peter Gabriel, Amy Winehouse, and Ice Cube. Joe was an art lover and resident political aficionado. 

 Joe will be always be remembered for his kind demeanor and for being a survivor. We’ll always remember Joey’s infectious laugh, his whistling skills, and him giving a big ol Ric Flair “WOOOOOOO!” Helen Keller once said “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” Joe is with us all and his legacy will never fade.

The family prefers that those who wish may make contributions in his name to Hospice of the Western Reserve 17876 St. Clair Ave. Cleveland, Oh 44110 or donate@hospicewr.org.

FRIENDS MAY CALL AT BROWN-FORWARD ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27TH FROM 5-7PM. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 28th at 12pm.,at Brown-Forward,17022 Chagrin Blvd. Shaker Hts, Oh. Interment at Lake View Cemetery, 12316 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, Oh. 

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