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In Memory

Chester E. Zubler - Class Of 1946 VIEW PROFILE

Chester E. Zubler

 

Chester Edwin Zubler

Chester Edwin Zubler, longtime resident of Long Beach, Indiana, passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 12, 2023 in Spanish Fort, Alabama.

Chet was born to John and Dessie (Turnbull) Zubler on October 23, 1928 in South Bend, Indiana, the youngest of four children. He grew up during the Great Depression in a home built by his father, less than a mile from the University of Notre Dame. He was childhood friends with Knute Rockne's son and was an avid Notre Dame fan to the very end of his life.

He played baseball at John Adams High School, and after graduating in 1946, he immediately enlisted in the Army, serving in the artillery and as a military policeman in Jinhae, Korea.

When Chet returned to the United States, he studied engineering at Purdue University and later studied business at Indiana University. Much later in life, he returned to study computer programming at Purdue University North Central, learning to program early mainframe computers with stacks of punch cards.

Chet married Cecilia Ann Wesdorp in Middlebury, Indiana in 1962. After building a first home in Shoreland Hills, they moved to their home along Lake Michigan in Long Beach, Indiana, and were happily married for over 50 years until Cecilia's death. They had two children, Eric and Todd, and enjoyed annual summer lake trips and winter ski vacations in northern Michigan with extended family.

Throughout his life, Chet worked at various jobs, including as an insurance adjustor, a salesman, and for 25 years as a claims representative at the Social Security Administration, where he was well-regarded for his care and concern in assisting people with their federal benefits.

Chet took early retirement in 1987, which allowed him to spend more time devoted to his lifelong passion of golf. After Cecilia's death in 2014, he settled into deep retirement and lived with son Eric, his wife Connie, and grandchildren Harrison and Catherine, in Florida and Alabama. He lived his final years programming his computer, playing the stock market, and surrounded by grandchildren.

He will be remembered as a gentle soul with a positive outlook, a quiet confidence, and a genuine interest in listening to others.

Chet is survived by his two sons, Eric (Connie) Zubler of Fairhope, Alabama, and Todd (Monica) Zubler of Arlington, Virginia, and by five grandchildren: Cecilia, Carolina, Harrison, Gregory, and Catherine.

A Liturgy of the Word and Commendation service will be held on November 21, 2023 at 1 p.m. CST at Trinity Episcopal Church, 600 Franklin Street, Michigan City, Indiana, with a reception to follow at 1:30 p.m. CST in the Grand Foyer of Barker Hall at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Purdue University, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), or the SJGS Excellence Fund at St. Joseph Grade School in South Bend, Indiana.

Posted online on October 25, 2023

Published in South Bend Tribune

 

10/28/2023 EJS



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