PAUL KOBE, SR.

PAUL KOBE, SR. beloved husband of the late Erna (nee Grauf) and the late Sophie, loving father of Margaret Kobe (Joseph Lach), Paul Kobe, Jr. (Beth), Rosemarie Abughazaleh (Ziad) and Richard Kobe (Renee Leone), proud Grandpa of Joseph Lach, Laura Bajorek (Jim), Christopher Lach, Jessica Kobe Miller (Lance), Monica Kobe (Steve Boensch), Paul Kobe III, Alexandra Kawkabana (Mike), Max Abughazaleh and Bryce Kobe, great grandpa of Brooke, Brayden, Magdalena, Marsali, Nadia, Benjamin, Hugo and Jack, brother of Maria Verderber, Hilde Mohr and the late Albert, Karl and Helen, uncle and great uncle of many. Passed away June 12, 2026. Funeral Service Tuesday, June 16, at 10:30 A.M. in the CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED, 29150 LORAIN RD. AT STEARNS RD. where friends may call TUESDAY ONE HOUR PRIOR TO SERVICE. Interment All Souls Cemetery, Chardon.

Born in Gottschee (now part of Slovenia) in 1929 into a German ethnic group, our father Paul Kobe spent an idyllic childhood with his five siblings in the village of Unterlag, caring for his family’s farm animals and gardens, playing in the woods, helping with the family’s inn, and trapping squirrels, among other adventures. Gifted with an ever sharp and strategic mind, he placed his traps on the edge of the forest, where few other traps were set, and yielded the highest catch. In 1940, political strife in Europe forced the relocation of his family to Austria, leaving behind the family inn and farm and surrounding forest, which our Dad loved so dearly. After World War II, the family was housed by a monastery of Franciscan Brothers in Klagenfurt, Austria. An adventurous young man, he earned enough to purchase a motorcycle, which brought freedom and great joy, including winning first place in a motorcycle obstacle course after an impromptu decision to enter the contest.

With Europe slow to rebound from the war, our Dad immigrated to the US, following his adventurous heart and seeking better opportunities. After a brief stay in New York City, Dad settled in Cleveland, but a young woman named Erna Grauf, our mother, frequently drew him back to New York for visits. Born in Lehrensteinsfeld, Germany, our Mother worked as a nanny for a Brooklyn family upon her arrival in the US, and relocated to Cleveland with her marriage to Dad in 1958. Our parents enjoyed 30 years of marriage and family, which was tragically shortened by our Mother’s death in 1988. He remarried in 1990, and Dad and Sophie shared many years of companionship.

Establishing himself in the US, our Dad progressed through a series of jobs: stocking produce at a Heinen’s grocery store, auto mechanic, and machinist in metal working shops. With his developed skills as a machinist, in 1962, while providing for a young and growing family, he took the bold step of establishing Kobe Machine Company, Inc., which he owned and operated through 2004, with a brief hiatus to explore a relocation to Arizona in 1970.

Arizona and the Southwest always drew him. He purchased a building lot in Lake Havasu City in 1968, which he sold just a few years ago. The entire family relocated to Phoenix, AZ for 6 months in 1970, but the lack of job opportunities for machinists brought the family back to Cleveland. For most of 2025, Dad lived with our sister Margaret and husband Joe in Sedona, before deciding to move back to Cleveland in September.

Dad was a simple man – he enjoyed the simple pleasures of life – the warm sun, the mountains, a walk in the forest, a good homemade meal, a cold beer, and the warm company of family and friends.

He was a fair man and treated all equally. He took pride in his accomplishments – his machine shop, his homemade wine, his homegrown tomatoes and green peppers, and especially his pride in his children and grandchildren.

Our Dad of sharp mind, adventurous spirit, family focus, hard work, and physical prowess, who could figure out a way to accomplish anything he set his mind to, who loved a good polka and sharing a beer at Cleveland’s Gottscheer Club, who always maintained a deep sense of fairness, and had an underlying playful sense of humor, will be deeply missed.