Joseph ZAHER

ZAHER, Joseph, Jr. Age 81, of Linden died November 24, 2012 at Avalon Hospice. A funeral Mass will be celebrated by Rev. David Harvey 11 AM Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 600 N. Adelaide, Fenton. Burial will follow at St. John Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held 3-8 PM Monday at Sharp Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 6063 Fenton Rd., Flint where a rosary will be prayed at 5:30 PM Monday night. Visitation will also be held from 10 AM Tuesday until the time of mass at the church. Joe was born Sept. 18, 1931 in Flint, Mich. to Joseph and Mary (Stimac) Zaher. An avid athlete, he graduated in 1950 from St. Mary's Catholic High School in Flint. He remained lifetime friends with his classmates, a group known as the 49ers. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952-1955 with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team in Korea. In 1960 Joe married Charlene Brown and they had six children and six grandchildren. Joe loved being a dad and being "papa." He liked to play and enjoyed building everything from backyard clubhouses to the family home. He was a planter and tender of trees and gardens and a fan of baseball, basketball and especially football. He liked bowling on a team and attending the Flint Symphony Orchestra. Raised with a strong work ethic, Joe worked for over 30 years as a driver-salesman for Seide/Auto City Distributors and a member of the Teamsters Local 332. He was a longtime member of Al-Anon, the Croatian Fraternal Union, the American Legion Post 90 in Linden and the Knights of Columbus. He served for many years on the funeral dinner team at St. John's. Joe is survived by his wife of 52 years, Charlene; daughter Julia Zaher of Grand Blanc; daughter Theresa (Zaher) Lyons and granddaughters Jade and Sarah Lyons of Rochester Hills; son Joe Zaher of Boise, Idaho; daughter Katie (Zaher) Heath, husband Steve Heath and granddaughter Kylee of Merrimac, Wisc.; son Jim Zaher, wife Holly, and grandchildren Eleanor, Benedict and Basil of Nashville, Tenn. He is also survived by his sister Veronica (Zaher) Serra and her husband Joe of Davison and leaves many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his infant son John Patrick, by his father Joseph Zaher, mother Mary Zaher Kraycar, and stepfather Anthony Kraycar. Contributions in Joe's memory may be made to the Society of St. Vincent DePaul. Friends may share an online tribute on the obituary page of www.sharpfuneralhomes.com

Visitation

Monday, November 26, 2012 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Sharp Funeral Home & Cremation Center
6063 Fenton Road Flint 48507, United States