Obituary of Edward T. Zaback

Edward T. Zaback, 80, of Town of Hamptonburgh, passed on Friday, March 23, 2018. Ed was born March 7, 1938 in Queens, NY, the son of Edward and Agnes (Kowalski) Zaback. As a child, Ed played baseball and stickball with neighborhood friends, ran like the wind, helped his mother, and cared for his younger brother, Robert. He watched the United Nations building construction across the East River and watched ships being built for military during World War II. In 1948 his parents moved to New City, NY. His first school in New City was a neighborhood grade school. He attended high school in Congers and graduated from Clarkstown High School. Ed attended college in Farmingdale, studied mechanical engineering; worked at a sewing machine manufacturer in Nyack. Changing course, Ed decided to study Economics. Awed by the Rocky Mountains, he enrolled in the University of Montana. He thrived in the western Montana 'Big Sky' environment, graduated with a degree in Economics. He met Carol Whittaker at UofM; they were married December 6, 1963. Ed and Carol lived in New City for five years, where their daughters were born, and he worked for an engineering company. They purchased an old orchard in the Town of Hamptonburgh and built a house there. Ed gained a Professional Land Surveyor license and established his business, Edward T, Zaback PLS, in Goshen. He managed that business for 30 years. Ed retired in 2001 and established a virtual sanctuary for birds, deer and other wildlife on his Hamptonburgh property. He and Carol spent summers and autumn at the Whittaker Ranch in Idaho and their apartment in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. They moored a boat at a marina on the Manasquan River with access to the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Special interests: lifelong learning; investments/stock market, economics; studying/reading, arts; earth sciences; wildlife & nature. Gifted at foreign languages, Ed loved to spoof in foreign accents. His creative talents were boundless: he was a comedian, caricaturist, artist, illustrator— clever stuff just "bubbled up" and he could make people chuckle, laugh, or marvel. Hobbies & sports: swimming, body surfing, baseball, gym workouts. Ed was a 30-year runner. His grandkids gave him a new name: "Running Johnny" or "Johnny." The name stuck, and he's preferred Johnny to Ed for years. Johnny was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2015. He is survived by his wife Carol, daughters Jodi Ann and her husband Frank Gaudioso, Lia Hunter Rose (Lori Lin Zaback), Tedi Jo and her husband William LoMeli, grandchildren Amanda, Justin, Santino, Giorgio, and two great-grandsons. A Memorial visitation will be Wednesday, April 4 from 3 to 5 PM at the Donovan Funeral Home, 82 South Church Street, Goshen NY, with a service at 5. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Edward's name to GOVAC (Goshen Volunteer Ambulance Corps), P.O. Box 695, Goshen, NY 10924, or Hamptonburgh Fire District, 13 Maybrook Road, Campbell Hall, NY 10916.