Joseph Loran Ziebarth

In sad news today we would like to notify you that Joe passed away at home on Sunday, November 20th, 2022 at 4:00 in the morning after a seemingly short stay in the hospital, but after a decades long fight with cancer.

Joe has always been battling mountains, both literal and figurative. That is one of the things we love about him. His chess like strategy, a game he loved, and his wolfish independence, an animal he admired, helped him travel through life to finally find peace and satisfaction in a life well lived.

At the age of 17, with special permission from his dad Bob, Joe enlisted in the Air National Guard and was Honorably Discharged on April 21st, 1962 with a rank of Airman First Class. His enlistment was the beginning of a lifelong passion for competitive small bore shooting competitions. It was an emotional time when he and his teammates made the decision to close the Glendale Sportsman’s Club this past year.

How different his life would have been if he had not succeeded at one of the earliest challenges that he would talk to us about, meeting and “catching” his wife Peggy. Or maybe letting Peggy catch him? During senior year at Highline High School, home of the Pirates, he asked Peggy to Prom. Rumor has it that there were other hopefuls, as all high school dramas have taught us, but the happy ending of finding a kindred spirit was achieved. Their wedding, on December 15th 1961, using a shoestring budget from Peggy’s fellowship stipend, and during a full-blown winter storm, has added more episodes to Joe’s tall tale.

After graduating from the University of Washington in 1962, Joe started teaching at McKnight Middle School where he taught his entire career. Most adventures begin with the support of kind souls and Joe’s first day of teaching was no different. Back in the 60’s, teachers required formal attire, and while shopping for an appropriate suit with very little money, a kind hearted tailor took it upon himself to rework the budget suit Peggy and Joe had selected so that it would inspire respect. A good beginning, but what kept Joe teaching at McKnight was the inspiration of watching middle school students light up when they made the connection between science books and real life. He knew that they would carry that knowledge throughout their lives.

There are too many adventures to detail here, but a few are worth mentioning; climbing Mt. Hood with a home-made down sleeping bag, receiving a Master’s Degree from the University of Portland with the support of the National Science Foundation and other students (who ended up becoming life-long friends), an epic two-week adventure across the United States with his family in a tiny Honda Civic and finally, designing and building a beautiful home where he could put down roots.

As the oldest child growing up in Montana, Eastern Washington and the Highline Area, Joe was a source of support and encouragement for his sisters and brother. Family stories of Cathy Patterson, Sherrie Vogel and Jimmy Ziebarth can be heard with laughter now, but at the time, living through them was very stressful and big brother Joe’s calm manner and practical support were appreciated beyond measure. Their bond helped them through the tough times, including the passing of their parents, Bob and Helen Ziebarth.

Joe raised his daughters, Holly Kubo and Lisa Dodd, with every skill he had acquired and with the caring heart that he was born with. They learned judo moves for self-defense, how to balance a check book, wilderness survival skills and how to navigate the education system. All fields of science became a part of daily life. Thanks to encouraging parents like Joe and Peg, Holly went into engineering and Lisa was inspired to teach physics. As grandchildren came, Joe could be found celebrating life at birthdays, graduations, competitions, even Disneyland. Pictures with the grandkids show Joe with a wide grin and a twinkle in his eyes.

Joe had a multitude of interests. Photography, music, outer space, science fiction, cowboy westerns, rock hounding, stock trading, Seahawks football, Mariners baseball, wild animals, apple pie – all joys in his life that he loved to share with those around him. Photographs of airplanes, space launches, lunar eclipses, flowers, mountains, deer, wolves, clouds and especially Peggy abound. A special cupboard in the garage has food for all the wildlife at Ziebarth Acres, except perhaps for the bears. Prepared for anything, all of his bags, including the one with medical papers that was taken to the hospital, had a hiking compass, pocket knife and whistle in it. Joe is loved for his contagious joy in life.

This past couple of weeks we have heard from so many friends and neighbors about how kind, what a truly good person, Joe was and how much he touched their lives.

Thank you everyone for your support.