Lake Luzerne
Fred John Zubal, Jr., 75, of Lake Luzerne, passed away Sunday afternoon, September 24, 2023, at Glens Falls Hospital with his loving family at his side.
Born on November 30, 1947, in Niskayuna, he was the son of the late Fred John Zubal, Sr. and Margaret Allen. He was a 1967 graduate of Hadley Luzerne Central School. He married Paulette Straight on October 24, 1970, in Lake Luzerne.
Fred was referred to as “Arnie” by his closest friends and family. His grandchildren and all of their friends referred to him as “Papa”.
Fred started his journey in Schenectady. Starring on the Freddie Freihofer Show, following that he was the mascot for Shenendehowa High School for the Polio Majorettes. At a young age he moved to The Great Sacandaga Lake. While living near The Great Sacandaga, Fred enjoyed his free time hunting, fishing, and spending time with his cousins and friends.
As Fred became able to drive, he commuted to Schenectady to work for his father at Zubal’s Meat Market. After he graduated from Hadley-Luzerne Central School he went into the Navy. Following his time in the Navy, Fred married Paulette and lived in Lake Luzerne where he would live for the remainder of his life. While living in Lake Luzerne, Fred operated Zubal Contracting where he built two of his own homes in Lake Luzerne, many other homes in the community, and worked on the renovation of the Lake Luzerne Town Hall. The renovation of the Lake Luzerne Town Hall was special to Fred, as he cared deeply for the town and its residents.
Fred was always eager to attend school events for his grandchildren and other events in the area. He was known by many in the community for his memorable quips and his words of advice (though sometimes unsolicited). He was typically seen driving one of his daily routes around town to ensure that nothing had changed from the day before.
Fred’s passions included snowmobile racing- which he won numerous championships in. He also enjoyed his Chevelle and Camaro which he would display at car shows. During the fall he would spend time hunting- which was a passion that he passed on to both his children and grandchildren.
Fred was a past member of the Hadley-Luzerne Lions Club and was a member of the Robinwood Park Association where he built a camp and spent many summer weekends with his friends and family.
Fred’s family would like to thank Dr. Tedesco and Dr. Siniapkin for all of their kindness and compassion shown to Fred and his entire family.
He was predeceased by a brother-in-law, Larry Waite
Survivors include his loving wife of nearly 53 years, Paulette Zubal; one daughter, Toni (Robert) Springer of Lake Luzerne; one son, Rayl (Cat) Zubal of Lake Luzerne; his grandchildren
Carter Springer, Noah Springer, Emma Springer, Max Zubal and Luke Zubal; siblings: Kelley Kenna, Bonnie McGinnis (Kathy), Brian Zubal and Debbie Lawrence (Jim); brother-in-law Dan Kenna, sister-in-law Cheryl (Rodney) Gilles; several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Friends may call Friday, September 29, 2023, from 5-7 p.m. at Brewer Funeral Home, Inc., 24 Church St., Lake Luzerne.
Funeral services will immediately follow the visitation at 7p.m. followed by gathering at William J. Varney American Legion Post, 379 Lake Avenue, Lake Luzerne.
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