Obituary of David Joseph Brubach

David Joseph Brubach, 80, passed away Monday, July 8, 2019 in the comfort of his home, surrounded by his family. He was born October 9th, 1938 and resided in Akron, Suffield and Jackson Township. He was a great son, husband, father, brother, uncle, educator, coach, mentor and friend to many. David was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Gladys Brubach and in-laws, Mike and Rita Gmerek and several sister and brother-in-laws. He is survived by the love of his life of 55 years, Joan (Gmerek), daughter Kerry Leone (Bob), son Scott (Jaime), brothers Bruce (Beverly) and Joseph G., sister Maria Homer (Bill), along with many nieces, nephews and friends. Dave was a graduate of East High School and then attended the University of Akron where he was a 4 year letterman in wrestling and received a bachelors and masters degree in Education. In addition, he proudly served 6 years in the USMC Reserves. After getting married and graduating from college in 1963, Dave taught history and started the wrestling program at Akron North High School where he coached his first state champ and later taught and coached at Jackson High School where he produced three state champs. Coaching was truly his passion and he was a mentor and close friend to many of his athletes during a career that spanned over three decades. He is an inductee in the East High School, Summit and Stark County Halls of Fame and received the Mike Krino Varsity "A" Achievement Award in 2017 from the University of Akron. After retiring from Jackson, Dave taught part-time at the University of Akron, Wayne College in Orville for 12 years. During his summers off from coaching and teaching, Dave was a very skilled painter with a meticulous attention to detail. He enjoyed dancing with Joanie and traveling after retirement. They spent many winters in Alva, Florida with his long-time college friend Bob Benham and his wife Nancy. Last year Dave and Joanie shared a memorable trip to Hawaii with family. Dave was a member of Queen of Heaven Parish in Green where he volunteered with the Labre Ministry to feed the homeless. Dave was a man of discipline, dedication, devotion, respect and great character. For those that had the pleasure of knowing him, his love and friendship was unwavering. The family will forever be grateful to all the family, friends and former wrestlers that came to visit him the last several months. A special thank you to the Aultman Hospice staff for their care the past few weeks to help Dave rest peacefully at home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Labre Ministry or Aultman Hospice. The family will receive visitors on Monday, July 15th from 9:30 am - 11:30 am with mass beginning at 12:00 pm at Queen of Heaven in Uniontown. His final resting place will be Holy Cross Cemetery in Akron, Ohio.