John Michael Saada Sr.

John Michael Saada Sr., 87 of Chagrin Falls, Ohio passed away peacefully on December 2, 2023 with his sons by his side. He was preceded in death by his devoted wife of 59 years, Delores T. Saada, who passed away on May 3, 2022. John was born July 10, 1936 in Brooklyn, NY to the late Michael J. and Dorothy M. Saada and is survived by his sons John M. Saada, Jr (Eliza) and Robert D. Saada (Kristen), four grandchildren (Katie, Will, Erin and Henry) and his two sisters Dorothy Leiser of Cincinnati, OH and Ruth Saada of New York City, NY. John attended the University of Chicago on a full academic scholarship at the age of 16, earning both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master’s degree in Business Administration in four years. He even found time to join the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He joined Ernst & Ernst upon graduation in 1957 where he spent the next 36 years. Admitted to the partnership in 1968, John’s career included time in the Cleveland and Dayton offices leading Audit teams and relationships with Fortune 500 companies as well as in the firm’s National Office in various leadership positions where he also served on the firm’s senior management committee. He retired in 1993. John was very proud of having been a partner of Ernst & Ernst, Ernst & Whinney and Ernst & Young and simply referred to himself as an “Ernst” partner. John had a tremendous love of people and the relationships he built throughout his life. He always prided himself on remembering everyone’s name, whether it was the checkout person at the grocery store, a neighbor or one of the many nurses and doctors treating him during his final hospital stay. He always met everyone with a smile, a handshake, and more often than not, a joke. John met his wife Delores in the spring of 1960 and they were married August 24, 1963. A match made in Heaven would be an understatement in defining their relationship. With the exception of Cleveland Browns games and golf courses, they were inseparable. Together, they enjoyed their sons’ and grandchildren’s school and sporting events, Sunday morning mass, Lake Erie College events, numerous trips to Italy, the Cleveland Sight Center, the Kirtland Country Club, the Cleveland Orchestra, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina where they had a home for nearly 30 years. They were always together and always smiling. John also volunteered a lot of his time with several non-profit organizations and was a past President of the Kirtland Country Club and the Cleveland Sight Center, where he is also a Trustee Emeritus. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 AM Monday, December 11, 2023 at St. Joan of Arc Church, 496 East Washington Street, Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022. A private family interment will be held at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio. Arrangements entrusted to Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Avenue, Mentor, OH 44060. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in memory of John M. Saada, Sr. to the Cleveland Sight Center, 1909 East 101st Street, Cleveland, OH 44106 or clevelandsightcenter.org. Offer condolences at www.brunners.com

John Michael Saada Sr.

July 10, 1936 - December 2, 2023