Obituary

Joseph A. Pamer
September 26, 1924 - December 3, 2021
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15

Precious to the LORD and to everyone who knew him, Joseph Andrew Pamer died peacefully in his home on December 3, 2021.

Born September 26, 1924 on the family farm in the Mansfield, Ohio area to Mathias and Susan Pamer, Joe was the second youngest of nine children. As a boy, he loved playing with his brothers in the rafters of the barn, running around with his friends, and working on the farm with his close-knit family. Although his parents had a lot of mouths to feed, they taught their children to be extremely giving, taking chickens and cream from their farm to friends they would visit each week. Giving was such a second nature to Joe throughout his entire life, although he would never let his left hand know what his right hand was doing.

Matt and Susie raised their children in the Apostolic Christian faith – where all nine of them came to accept salvation through Jesus. When World War II began, Joe knew he had to get his life in order, and dedicated his life to God, getting baptized at the old church on Mulberry and 1st Streets before heading to boot camp. He stayed a part of the faith, attending church services at the Apostolic Christian Church on Illinois Avenue up until a month before his death.

Joe always spoke positively about his experience in the army as a conscientious objector during the war, and he was proud to have served his country. He understood and was grateful for the freedoms provided in this country, as his father was never able to go back to Hungary because of his religious beliefs. While stationed at various posts, his jobs ranged from medic to radio repair. Joe attended army reunions until well into the early 2010s and remained thankful for what he learned and the friendships he made.

Another thing Joe did before heading to boot camp was to make sure that a certain lady, Lydia Boliantz, would be waiting for him when he came back. After the war, Joe bought his parents’ farm thanks to the G.I. Bill, and married the sweet and lovely Lydia. Joe and Lyd had two children, Sandra and Scott, were active in their church and community, and were very close to their extended family.

After Joe got out of farming, he worked extremely hard at various jobs. He and his brother George developed a beautiful neighborhood in the Madison area; he sold Ford Tractors; and then he and George established Winchester Nursing Home, which Joe and Lyd ran until they retired. While running the nursing home, Joe saw the need for hospice care, so he put together a group of medical and business professionals in the community to bring that to fruition in Richland County. After retirement, Joe continued his connection with hospice by volunteering for them, hundreds of hours over 25 years. Hospice was one of the reasons that Joe could stay in his home until his death. Joe was also one of the founders of the Apostolic Christian Retirement Home, where he resided since 1986.

After Lydia’s death, Joe married Betty Sabo. Joe and Betty spent winters in either Arizona or Texas and donated a lot of their time to missions projects at church and volunteering for hospice. Joe also got into woodworking during retirement and made beautiful birdhouses for anyone who wanted one. He thoroughly enjoyed Sudoku puzzles, and got his great-granddaughter, Morgan, hooked on them too. Joe was an excellent cook and baker and baked cookies weekly for the residents of the Retirement Home until the beginning of November, often baking with his daughter, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. He always had quite the sweet tooth so Joe would serve his adult grandchildren chocolate milk when they visited, and he ate jelly out of the jar with a spoon – primarily because his mother always had to ration it so strictly.

Joe was able to travel extensively throughout the world, but was always thankful to be home, saying there was no place more beautiful than Ohio. He often mentioned that what shocked him the most was how much vehicles and communication systems have changed throughout his lifetime. Joe’s daily goal throughout his life was to keep busy by helping someone else. He was a loving father, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather who always had candy or cookies to give out and a story or word of advice to bestow. One of his favorites was “The only thing promised a tomorrow, is a calendar.” He was continually thankful to God for all of the blessings in this life, and he never ever complained, instead was only thankful.

Joe is survived by his daughter, Sandra (Thomas) Thorburn; grandchildren, Sara Thorburn, Bethany (Matt) Mutchler; Mary (Kris) Stentz; great grandchildren, Jaxson, Grahm, Piper, Kade Stentz and Carter and Morgan Mutchler; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Edward and JoAnn Boliantz; sister-in-law Helen Boliantz; many beloved nieces and nephews; and three stepsons, Steve Sabo, Doug Sabo, and Greg Sabo and their families.

He was preceded in death by: his parents, Matt and Susie Pamer; his wife, Lydia Pamer; their children Scott Pamer, a baby, John, and two other infants; his second wife, Betty Sabo Pamer; all of his siblings and their spouses: Margaret (Custer) Nagy, Helen (George) Pavkov, Sue (Ernie) Pavkov, Lawrence (Erna) Pamer, Irene (Al) Betz, Sophia (Bill) Sabo, George (Kay) Pamer, and Emily (Bob) Hill; his mother-in-law, Margret Boliantz; his very good friend and brother-in-law Emil Boliantz; his other in-laws, Bill Boliantz, Esther Boliantz, and Harold and Elsie Boliantz; and a niece, Janet Pavkov.

Calling hours will be held Wednesday, December 8, 2021 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Diamond Street Home of Wappner Funeral Directors, 98 S. Diamond Street, Mansfield, Ohio 44902. The funeral will be a private service.

The family would like to thank Ohio Health Hospice of Mansfield, Sheryl Cross, and Justin Stentz for their outstanding care of Joe the last days of his life. For memorial contributions, please consider donating to Ohio Health Hospice: https://foundation.ohiohealth.com.