Joseph Zebedeus

It is with great sadness, we share the passing of our beloved father and grandfather Joseph Zebedeus on November 30, 2022. We are all devastated by the loss of this wonderful and kind man. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Everyone loved Joseph dearly, but God loved him more and decided that the best path for Joseph would be to call him back home. On November 30, 2022, with a heavy heart, his family had to let him go.

Joseph and his wife Tieneke were inseparable, they were married for 63 years. Unfortunately, Joseph passed 2 weeks before he could celebrate his 64th anniversary. Every year, Joseph would pray for his granddaughter, Lauren, on her birthday. However, Joseph died 2 days before her birthday. It was very sad for his wife Tieneke and the rest of his family on the day of his anniversary, December 14. Joseph and Tieneke went everywhere together, and hated being separated. They would tell a lot of stories to their children and grandchildren. Even as Joseph and Tieneke grew older, a habit of theirs was that they always loved to hold hands. Which led to their family being curious about how this inseparable bond was created. Joseph was born on April 16, 1932 in Lampung, Indonesia. He went to school in Bandung, where he later met Tieneke.

Introduced by a very good friend of theirs, the late Fritz Ruus, while they were watching a documentary film outdoors. The documentary was about Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon. It was apparent that they were both very interested in the first man to land on the moon. Fritz came up to Tieneke and said to her, “This is my best friend Joseph, he’s very nice and kind-hearted. And, I want you to try meeting with him more often. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. He will love you unconditionally.”

So, Tieneke agreed to see Joseph more often. They fell in love within a few months, dated for a year, and got married on December 14, 1958, in Bandung, Indonesia. Their first home was in Jakarta, where all their children were born. He was kind and generous, always helping those in need. Joseph taught his kids to have faith in God. His belief was that with whatever you do, wherever you go, always put God first, and never forget to pray. He taught his kids this often. Tieneke and Joseph also started a small catering service. Joseph always helped his wife in the kitchen. Their daily routine was to start preparing the ingredients for the catering meals at 5 AM.

Their customers would pick up their food at 12 PM, so the schedule was tight everyday. Even if his schedule was tight, he always made sure to gather with his children. He made sure he was present on every birthday and anniversary. Their catering service and their gatherings was how they made a lot of beautiful memories.

He was blessed with four children and in later days, eight beautiful grandchildren. Joseph enjoyed traveling with his grandchildren, he would play with them at the beach or at home. In his early years, he would take them to school every morning. Joseph was blessed with an abundance of knowledge, so they could ask him anything if they had any questions regarding their schoolwork. His grandchildren will always remember him by this gesture and it is the reason why it was very heartbreaking to let him go. Joseph lived for 90 years, his relatives celebrated joyously on April 14, 2022. It was a blessing for him to make it to age 90. He is survived by his wife of 63 years Tieneke Anneke Mundung - Pandelaki and four children along with their spouses, Joan and Harun Burhanudin, Didi and Lily Zebedeus, Moody and Nita Zebedeus, Pamela and Harry Huang, and embraced Johanna and David Nainggolan as his own children. Joseph was also blessed with 9 grandchildren Jade and Sam Babbitt, Dewi and Thong Boutviseth, John Burhanudin, Stephanie and Lydia Zebedeus, Zachary, Hannah, and Timothy Zebedeus, Lauren Huang, and his great grandchild Tessa Boutviseth. He will be greatly missed by every single one of us, including his extended families and friends.

There is a bridge of memory From Earth to heaven above. It keeps you near us, It’s called the bridge of love. May you always wake in sunshine And God’s love you flow, For happiness you gave us No one will ever know. It broke our hearts to lose you, But you did not go alone, For part of us went with you. The day God called you home.