Darla Jean Zawacki

Darla Jean Zawacki (Buell), age 76, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 27, 2025, after a six-month battle with small cell lung cancer. Born September 21,1948, in Jefferson, she was the daughter of Donald and Vivian (Thompson) Buell. Darla graduated from Jefferson High School and was a longtime resident of Jefferson, Ohio until she moved to Ashtabula after the marriage to her husband Ronald J. Zawacki on May 26, 1988. Darla never met a person who she didn't want to help. As a waitress at the Jefferson Diner and at the Lunch Box, customers would often bring bills and documents to the restaurant to ask for her help and advice. As a single mom of two, she always joked that she knew how to manage money better than anyone, she just didn't have much to manage. She channeled her love for helping people and giving advice into a real estate career starting in 1994 and lasting more than 30 years. She worked at Joan Curtis Realty, Realty One, Prudential Select Properties, and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. She was a member of the National Association of Realtors, Ohio Relators and the Ashtabula Real Estate Investors Association. When Darla wasn't listing or selling homes, she could be found scratching tickets in many of the local convenience stores or grocery stores in town, at her dining room table sipping coffee and talking on the phone, out to lunch with a friend, or with her family. Darla loved a good joke and a great deal. She and her husband Ron, enjoyed taking trips to Las Vegas and regional casinos, country music dancing, playing cards, listening to live music at the park, gardening, and dressing up for costume contests. Darla was honest, hard-working, fiercely loyal, and a terrific storyteller. Her no-nonsense advice, astute remarks, humor and deep love will be missed by many.
She is survived by her husband, Ronald Zawacki; son, William "Bill" W. (Lisa Richert) Cunningham; three grandchildren, William "Billy" L. (Jessica) Cunningham, Lacey (Brett) Cunningham Spencer, and Dakota "Kody" Cunningham; a brother Gary (Lydia Jane) Buell and a sister, Faith Cowger; her best friend and former sister-in-law Donna Buell; and three great-grandchildren, Isabella, Avery and Gracelyn Cunningham. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Rhonda Cunningham; her brother David Buell, her former spouse William L. Cunningham, and her parents.
The family wishes to extend a special "Thank You" to the Geneva Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, the University Hospital Seideman Cancer Center, and Hospice of the Western Reserve for the gentle care given to Darla. Memorial donations can be made in Darla's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105
Visitation is on Friday, March 7th from 4:30-6:30pm with a Funeral Service at 6:30pm at Lake Erie Cremation & Funeral Services, 1500 Harpersfield Rd, Geneva, Ohio 44041. A private family service will be held on Saturday, March 8th, at her final resting place, St. Joseph Cemetery. www.LakeErieCrematory.com