Robert Zona

Robert T. Zona age 62 of Bad Axe formerly of Pinnebog, died Wednesday at his home of a massive heart attack.

He was born April 13, 1951 in Kingston, PA and moved to Detroit at age 4 with his parents, Robert F. Zona and the late Mary (Szortyka) Zona.
Robert graduated from DE LaSalle Catholic High School in 1969 and studied journalist at Wayne State for two years.

On September 25, 1982, he was united in marriage to Debra Ann Ghirardelli at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Detroit. He moved his family to Pinnebog for their safety in 1990.
He had been employed with the City of Detroit for 30 years retiring on April 20, 2011, moving to Bad Axe that same year.

Below in his son’s words sums of his father:
My dad was weird. There’s no other way to put it. Robert Thomas Zona embraced and became the words bizarre, weird, eclectic, quirky, and strange and he loved it. He took pride in knowing an infinite database of obscure facts from the collection of ancient films and music that he absorbed himself in. He would tell you about it and he knew you wouldn't care to listen but he'd ramble on anyways because that’s what made him feel good. His odd catch phrases and one liner's that he repeated almost daily for the almost 30 years I’ve known him will forever run in the back of my mind, Cool! Mellow! he'd say as something peaked his interest as well saying thousands of other lines that belonged to him that aren't allowed in print (He had a dirty mouth, thank god for it) His accent that to this day nobody knows how he picked it up or where it came from. I still haven’t noticed it. Well call it a perk from just being around this great man too much.
He wanted to be liked and wanted to make everyone laugh, they always did, even if they didn't understand the obscure reference he was basing his jokes off of. My father made a lasting impact on every single person he came across, when the news broke about his passing my phone began filling with text messages from long lost contacts telling me stories about my father that I had long forgotten.
He was the text book definition of book smart, the man knew something about everything. I’ve never met anyone more knowledgeable in as many fields as him, its lucky Jeopardy did not have him on their show otherwise they'd be filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy but at the same time the man didn't know how to drive to the store to pick up cheese for his plain sandwich or how to get his license renewed. Being street smart was Moms job. That’s what made him and that’s what none of us will ever forget.
He was always very supportive of anything his family wanted to do. He would listen to us and show that he truly cared, he was simply a great man. More importantly he was a great father. Something I will never forget and will forever be thankful.
You were weird old man, you loved music and film and nature. Traveling and hanging with Jimmy will always be something I’ll remember you by. None of us will ever forget you and the things you've taught us. You did your job, you were a good father. Rest easy, I’ll be thinking of you, often.

Surviving are his wife of 31 years, Deb; two children, Robert “JP” Zona of Ferndale and Katrina Alta-Linda Zona of Port Huron; his father, Robert F. Zona of Sylvania, OH; a brother, Mark(Daria) Zona of Clinton Twp; a sister Cindy (Edmond) Church of Sylvania, OH and god children, Mark Alexander Zona, Edmund Luke Church and Paul Vincent Andrews.

There will be no services at this time; a celebration of his life is planned for a later date.