Daniel Zmuda

ZMUDA

Daniel Alvin "Pipi"



Daniel A. Zmuda, age 88, passed away Monday, November 17, 2014, at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center after a lengthy illness. Looking illness right in the eye, he was determined to fight, but always saw the light at the end of the tunnel. This followed his belief that everything has a reason behind it, a belief he instilled in his children and grandchildren.

He was born September 4, 1926, to Walter and Bertha (Korecki) Zmuda and was raised as a devout Catholic in North Toledo. He met Janette Robideau at a block rosary and she became his beloved wife on May 10, 1952. She preceded him in death on December 27, 2000. Throughout his adult life, he was a parishioner at St. Clement Church and then St. Joseph Church, Toledo.

Dan served in the United States Army and was stationed in the Philippines during World War II where he was the Voice of America on Armed Forces Radio. He also worked many years as a systems engineer and used his analytical skills for finding the best, most logical or most economical way to do everything. Daniel gained notoriety in the manufacturing industry, where he received patents in technical development for which he was most proud.

He was an entertainer with a life-long passion for music. He taught himself to play the piano at an early age and began performing professionally as a teenager, gaining notoriety as the "Boogie-Woogie" piano player of Toledo. He also performed professionally in a band called The Four Keys under the stage name of Danny O'Day. As he raised his family, the music from his piano regularly filled their home and influenced his children. Another love was baseball, especially the Detroit Tigers. He would talk to anyone about the game the night before and explain things such as why players shouldn't chew gum when they batted, all in his unique, dry, yet light-hearted way.

His biggest pride was by far his family. He is survived by his 6 children, Gary (Becky) Zmuda, Judy (Ben) Tancinco, Greg (Bev) Zmuda, Gene (Terri) Zmuda, Jayne (Don) Nachtrab, and Joel (Jenny) Zmuda; 14 grandchildren, BJ and Jon Tancinco, Victoria (Tyson) Wyant, Natalie (Thomas) Peters, Jack and Irene Nachtrab, Zach, Brad, Alexa, Eric, Matthew, Zohn, Meghann, and Aubrey Zmuda; two great-grandchildren, Alexander and Adaryn Wyant; sister, Corrine (John) Sedlar, and special cousin, Dave. In addition to his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by brothers, Leonard and Robert Zmuda; sister, Margaret Burke, and first grandson, Matthew J. Zmuda.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to Dr. Ameer Kabour, Dr. Steven Selman, Dr. Syed Abidi, Dr. David Zack, nurses and staff at the Cardiovascular Center at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center for their loving care.

Friends may visit at the Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 S Reynolds Rd. on Friday, November 21, 2014, from 2-8 p.m. where the Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue at St Clement Catholic Church, 3030 Tremainsville Rd., Toledo, Ohio 43613, on Saturday, November, 22 from 10 a.m. until the time of the funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at St. Joseph's Cemetery, Erie, MI. Memorials may be made to 1-Heart, a local charitable organization created to provide the best care to every heart patient "using the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors," or to the American Kidney Fund.