DAVID J. HUBENY, JR., age 93. Beloved husband of the late Delores (nee Shephard); loving father of Kathleen Cipalla (Mike), Stephen J. (Renee), Theresa A., and Timothy; adored grandfather of Kaitlyn Ranft (Nick), Allison Cipalla (Cooper Katzel), Ryan (Sam), Anthony Cipalla, Collin (Madeline), Jonathan, and Brett; great-grandfather of Cameron Hubeny. Proud U.S. Navy Veteran. Passed away January 10, 2026.

Funeral Service Thursday, January 15 at 10 AM at CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of BEREA, 86 ADALBERT ST. OFF FRONT ST. (LOCATED IN THE POLISH VILLAGE HISTORIC DISTRICT). Interment Sunset Memorial Park. Friends may call Wednesday , JANUARY 14 5-8 PM.

EULOGY

While sitting beside my dad during his final days, I often had the YouTube TV Zen channel playing a crackling fireplace while listening to Anne Murray during my night shifts. In those quiet hours, I had time to reflect on the remarkable life my dad lived.

Dad was born in the summer of 1932 on the east side of Cleveland. He was the only living child of Mary and David Hubeny and lived with his Aunt Florence, whom he considered more like a sister, as she was only a few years older than him.

He grew up during the worst years of the Great Depression, from 1933 to 1939, when times were tough and money was scarce. Dad lived a humble, modest life and learned early on the value of hard work and frugality. He understood the importance of recycling and reusing, growing his own food, and caring for family—values he carried with him throughout his entire life.

As we were growing up, Dad found many creative ways to reuse everyday items. One fond memory I have is of him making me reuse plastic bread bags to line my boots when I walked to the bus stop in the snow. I looked silly, but he was right—my socks never got wet or cold.

Every summer, Dad spent his free time tending to our garden. We enjoyed fresh vegetables like corn, green beans, potatoes, lima beans, and tomatoes, all grown with his hard work and patience.

Dad understood the value of a job. As a young boy, he received a new bike that he used to ride around town while doing his paper route. He took pride in earning his own money and keeping track of his finances. Even up until a few years ago, Dad still did his taxes manually—though we always had a CPA review and submit them for him.

When Dad was about seven years old, World War II officially began in 1939, marking the end of the Great Depression. The war sparked rapid technological advancements in aerospace and electronics, which fueled Dad’s curiosity during his middle and high school years.

In 1953, Dad enlisted in the Navy, where he served as an Aviation Technician during the Korean War. He flew aboard a VC-7 aircraft on a Navy carrier and meticulously logged every flight in his flight logbook, right up until his final flight in December of 2024. He rarely spoke about his time in the Navy, but he did open up to his grandchildren, sharing his experiences with them. His final Navy pinning ceremony took place on January 03, 2026, with three generations present. Though he couldn’t communicate at the time, I could clearly see the pride and joy he felt in that moment.

Dad’s fascination with electronics and aeronautics—sparked in the Navy—led him to a career at NASA as an electrical technician. He worked there for over 30 years, often on different shifts depending on the project, and occasionally traveled to the Kennedy Space Center to work on the Space Shuttle. One of his most impressive contributions was his work on solar electricity for the space station. He was truly a pioneer in that field.

One summer, Dad managed to bring home a few small scrap pieces of solar panels and built us a solar-powered radio that we used at the beach. We thought we were the coolest kids there—no one else had ever seen anything like it. I’m still incredibly proud of the work he did.

Dad also deeply understood the importance of caring for family. He was the sole caretaker for his parents, as well as Aunt Betty and Uncle Frank. At one point, after most of us had moved out, both Grandma Shepherd and Grandma Hubeny lived with us due to health issues. Dad never complained; he simply took on these responsibilities with strength and grace.

Some of my favorite memories with Dad are from our family fun times. We took many car trips to Florida—one memorable trip ended with all of us coming home with chickenpox, and another happened during the Blizzard of 1978, when we lost the awning off our patio.

Dad also added two rooms and a bathroom onto our old house. The project started when we were young and still wasn’t completely finished by the time we moved out. In fact, the second bathroom was never finished before Mom and Dad moved into the house next to my sister Theresa.

In his seventies, Dad removed a massive tree trunk from the backyard of his new home—by hand—with just a chainsaw. He also enjoyed building model Navy airplanes, a hobby that brought him a lot of joy.

Not too long ago, we had to take Dad’s car keys away. Unbeknownst to us, he had made copies and hidden them, sneaking out for drives until we noticed tire tracks in the snow leading straight into the garage. He wasn’t happy about losing his keys. I promised him we would get him to his appointments and anywhere else he needed to go. Once there, he would introduce me to everyone as his “personal Uber driver.” I played along—eventually, I was promoted back to being introduced as his daughter.

Even into his nineties, Dad had a youthful spirit. He loved being goofy with his grandchildren, making breakfast every morning, handling his bills and taxes, and staying busy. He delighted in attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, graduations, parties, and trips to Grandpa’s Cheese Barn.

He could give a great raspberry, loved taking silly pictures and videos, and truly cherished time with his family.

Dad lived through some of the toughest times in history, yet he had a heart of gold. He helped anyone who needed it and never asked for anything in return. He was humble, kind, and truly the last of a great generation. He was proud of all his grandchildren and knew his legacy would live on through them.

He will be deeply missed.