beloved father Joseph Zavada, 78 of Montgomery went to be with the Lord in Heaven yesterday. He was a humble man, a faithful man, a great husband, father, and grandfather. He was an educator and also had a wonderful career serving in the Aerospace industry. He loved gathering in fellowship at diners like Chappy's Deli Perry Hill, being at ball games, and sharing on life's journeys with his fellow man. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and made Alabama his home for the past decade. He is survived by his loving wife Mary Zavada, eldest son Michael Zavada, his daughter Erin Zavada Doney, and his son Kevin Joseph Zavada and their spouses, Pamela Coulliette Zavada, John Doney, and Crystal Zavada, respectively. "Papa Joe" as he was affectionately called, had five grandchildren: Gabriel Doney, Lukas Doney (Sons of Erin and John), and Collette, Ezekiel, and Wyatt (Sons of Michael and Pam).
Joe grew up in West Hazelton, PA and attended school at MMI Preparatory School in Freeland, PA. He entered the seminary and undergraduate at Stonehill College in Easton, MA, before leaving and finishing his undergraduate degree King's College, Pennsylvania in Wilkes-Barre, PA. He then finished his academic work at Duquesne University and at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
He then became a teacher specializing in high school English and German. He taught for about a decade in Western Pennsylvania and Suburban Philadelphia schools before going into the Aerospace/Defense contracting industry. He had a long career working for GE, Lockheed Martin, and other industrial giants as a technical writer and systems engineer. He retired in 2007 and moved to Montgomery in 2014. Recently, he wrote and published a book entitled "The Wager," a mythological view of the struggle between good and evil and the rules that bind both.
Joe was a parish member at Holy Spirit Parish - Montgomery, Alabama and also enjoyed attending services at Saint James Church with Lester Spencer.
A visitation will take place at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Thursday, March 16th, at 10:00 a.m. with a memorial service following at 11:00 am.
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