Michael Joseph Zmuda

Michael Joseph Zmuda Jr., age 80, passed away peacefully in the presence of his family on Tuesday, February 27th, 2018, at Dublin Methodist Hospital in Dublin, Ohio after a prolonged fight against bladder cancer. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Dorothy and Michael Zmuda, Sr. and was the second oldest of six children. Upon graduating from Central High School in Minneapolis, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. During his time in the service, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton, MCRD San Diego, and Iwakuni, Japan as part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. After 6 years of service, in 1962, Michael was honorably discharged having achieved rank of Corporal and returned to Minneapolis, where he worked full time while pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Philosophy and Mathematics and a Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology from the University of Minnesota.

During this time of Michael’s life, he pursued two passions: courting his future wife, Diane, and speed skating. Often, their dates included late night skating escapades on the ice in Como Park. The two brought each other joy and balance at difficult times in their lives; they married on July 20, 1968 and would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this summer. As an avid speed skater, Michael participated in many regional, national, and international competitions, holding several track records for decades. Among his most notable athletic accomplishments, he won the Minnesota State Speed Skating Championship for 11 consecutive years and was invited to join the 1968 Winter Olympic Speed Skating Team as first alternate. Michael’s love for adventure spurred him to pursue a pilot’s license, and he flew friends, family, and his children in a Cessna to a number of memorable destinations. Over the course of his professional career, Michael was an educator and worked in regulatory affairs. He taught medical students at Southern Illinois University early in his career, worked for several major medical device companies, and ultimately founded his own regulatory affairs consulting company, Z-Tecknologie. He enjoyed the lifelong friendships he developed through his collaboration with fellow consultants, particularly with Phoenix Regulatory Associates.

Left to honor Michael and remember his love are his wife, Diane, three children, Erik and his wife Elizabeth, Jessika, and Jennifer; five grandchildren; Ryan, Emily, Jonathan, Katie, and Grayson; a sister, Jeannette and three brothers Kenneth, Fred and Steve; his daughter Denise from a previous marriage and her children Brian, Jordan, Leah and Hannah, and their children; and his many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews. Michael was preceded in death by his parents and older brother Richard, who died in infancy. He will be remembered as an active volunteer in the various communities and churches he served, including the Membership Council, Men’s Breakfast, Ministry of Presence to Prisoners, and the Service Board at First Community Church (Columbus, OH). He found joy in singing in the church choirs at Wayside Presbyterian (Erie, PA) and Oak Hills Church (Folsom, CA).

The family will greet friends from 1:30pm to 4pm on Saturday, March 3rd at the family’s home. Funeral services will be held locally in Columbus on Saturday March 10th at 1pm at First Community Church, 3777 Dublin Rd, Columbus, OH 43221, prior to his placement at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN in April.

To honor Michael, we invite attendees to wear blue, his favorite color, to the services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Michael’s name to the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (https://www.bcan.org), the M.A.S.H. Pantry (http://www.mashpantry.org) in Columbus, OH, or the American Cancer Society (for bladder cancer research).