Ben Imburgia - our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather passed away on Saturday, August 16th. He will be remembered most for putting the “love of his life” - his wife Rita, his family and animal companions above all else. There was no life event, celebration or big or small matter in our lives that he wasn’t there to support and give us the courage to keep going and to do better. He had a warm, wonderful smile, a great sense of humor and was apparently a great nap taker. He lived to be 99 years old and as a man with so much life, many thought he would “outlive” us all. One of the greatest gifts he passed on to us was his love of animals, as evidenced by the long walks he took with his dogs; especially Sam and many hours spent caring for his horses. They were not only companions to him; they were part of the family. He had a delightfully witty sense of humor. He would often start sentences with “Oh yeah, followed by something incredibly funny.” He was extremely protective over all of us. Even in his 90’s he always “knew a guy” that would come to our rescue if someone “treated us badly.” We’d tease him that at 90 they were all in walkers or wheel chairs. He’d laugh. Ben gave us the greatest gift anyone could ever give. He believed in us. We will always remember his incredible heart and gentle soul and know that our lives are forever changed because of this generous and self-sacrificing man. “He was easy to love.” ------------------------------------------------------------ A celebration of life event will be held on September 28 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Press Wine Bar, 2221 Professor Avenue (Tremont), Cleveland, Ohio; Phone: 216-566-9463; Website: http://wwww.presswinebar.com. Ben is survived by his wife, two children and their families. Rita Hinton of Cleveland, Ohio; Son, Ronald Imburgia and his wife Lorene of Cleveland, Ohio; Daughter Lori Schmelter and her husband Ron of Brookpark, Ohio and Step-son, Jason Hinton and his wife Courtenay of Lorain, Ohio. Grand-children are Patty Miller, Mike Imburgia, Cathy Schmelter, Mark Imburgia, Paula Koszarek and Mia Wood. Great-grandchildren are Alexandra Douglas, Kaitlyn Douglas, Michael Imburgia, Devin Koszarek and Quinn Koszarek. Great-great-grandchildren are Cody Imburgia and Serenity Boone. Special thanks to Rita from the family for taking such good care of our father and grand-father through the ups and downs in the last years of his life. We appreciated all those who befriended and cared for Ben through his life and at the end of his life. We are sure they join us in feeling privileged to have known him. Donations may be made in Ben Imburgia’s name to Hospice of the Western Reserve, Contributions, 17876 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44110 or online at http://www.hospicewr.org/donate.