December 06, 1948 - April 04, 2017

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, colleague and friend

Joseph Lindsay Ungari passed peacefully at Swedish Hospital on April 4, 2017, at age 68 from pancreatic cancer. Joe was a loving husband to Wendy, father to Paulina, grandfather to Charlie, and brother to Linda & Yvonne. He was preceded in death by his mother, Dolores Jean Lindsay, and father, Frank Edward Ungar. Joe was a retired product design executive who held prominent positons at Philips, Maytag, Nike, T-Mobile, and BDA. He was also a successful fine artist with oil paintings shown and sold at local galleries.

You're gonna live forever in me - song by John Mayer

A Seattle native, Joe grew up in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood, across from Woodland Park, attended Lincoln High School, and graduated with an MFA from the University of Washington. He was in the Army National Guard, and the Air Force Reserves where he worked as a medic. Joe’s hobbies included oil painting, playing music, travel, fishing, and spending time with family.

Joe was my husband, my best friend, my soul mate. He was an amazing dad to Paulina, and “Popsi” to our 2-year-old grandson, Charlie. You may have known Joe as brother, uncle, cousin, friend and colleague but whatever the relationship, we all know him as an immensely talented and extraordinary man who left his artistic mark on the world.

We married in the summer of 1990 after a whirlwind romance and proceeded to set out on a romantic and daring lifestyle that allowed us to travel around the world, live and work in exciting places, meet fascinating friends, and nurture our family. Our life together was storybook, and Joe was the anchor that kept us grounded.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle - Albert Einstein

As a scientist, inventor, and artist, Joe never took life for granted. He saw beauty and complexity in the simplest things. As a product designer he brought unexpected elegance to his work, and as a fine artist, he studied with great detail objects that most take for granted. He was always thinking, never satisfied, and forever challenging status quo – a mark of true accomplishment.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops - Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

A friend once said, “if you hang with Joe, you’re gonna go places.” This prophecy rang true. Joe’s intellect and vision opened the world to whoever had the privilege to listen. His adventurous spirit dared all to experience life beyond the ordinary, and his boundless energy kept most struggling to keep pace. Riding the coat tails of Joseph Ungari allowed so many of us to reach a greater potential.

To explore. To dream. To sail away from the safe harbor and catch the trade winds in our sails - Mark Twain

A life filled with music. As a child Joe’s mom, Dolores, encouraged him to play music. His foundation was built on piano. From there, he learned the trumpet, flute, harmonica, banjo, guitar, congas, digeridoo, etc. Joe played a part in many musical forays, but none as important as accompanying the vocals of Paulina. Together, they practiced their favorite songs and dreamed of playing on stage.

A gathering of angels appeared above my head

They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said

They said come sail away, come sail away

Come sail away with me - “Come Sail Away” by Styx

Many of you have wonderful memories of Joe. Please keep your memories close to your heart and share often so Joe will live on through all of us.

Remember Me

To the living, I am gone,

To the sorrowful, I will never return,

To the angry, I was cheated,

But to the happy, I am at peace,

And to the faithful, I have never left.

 

I cannot speak, but I can listen.

I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.

So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea,

As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity,

Remember me.

 

Remember me in your heart:

Your thoughts, and your memories,

Of the times we loved,

The times we cried,

The times we fought,

The times we laughed.

For if you always think of me, I will never have gone.

-Anonymous

Joe-Joe, my heart will always beat for you -  Wendy

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To see all the many facets of Joseph Ungari's endless accomplishments, creativity and life's work, please visit the links below.

Joseph's Composite Projects: http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/407757_S7UkRvzpunxPrs2RCs823lSLT.pdf

Joseph's Website: http://www.josephungari.com

FUNERAL INFORMATION

Private service.