Joseph Charles Haase

Joseph Haase, 58 years old, passed away peacefully at the Cleveland Clinic at 12:07 pm on Thursday, August 7, 2025. Joe was born on December 3, 1966, in South Bend to the late Charles Haase and Colleen McCann. He was a life-long resident of South Bend.

Joe passed away after a long, courageous battle with liver disease. Joe impressed everyone that cared for him during his seven-month hospital stay with his good humor and determination to live.

Left to cherish memories of Joe are his wife, Tara Celmer, daughter, Madelin Withers, granddaughter, Amelia Kouzios, siblings Pat Haase (Joni), Kathleen Haase and Greg Haase (Charlene), Aunt Marilee Haase (Sandy) and Uncle Pat McCann (Mary) along with nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends.

Joe got an early start on his career in media as a proud member of Beyond our Control in high school, where he made life-long friends. This led to a long career as a studio camera operator and floor director at WNDU. He always said he loved how much fun he had working in the studio.

After WNDU, Joe worked in Media Services at Indiana University South Bend, where he produced videos for faculty and helped students with video production. Joe recently celebrated his 25th anniversary at IUSB. He enjoyed helping people on campus and teaching a new generation about the work he loved. Joe also freelanced as a director for local live shows and events, with a whole collection of backstage passes to prove it.

Joe graduated from Penn High School in 1985 and got his Bachelor’s degree in Communications in 1990 at Indiana University in his beloved Bloomington. Joe was working on his Master’s degree in Communications at IUSB when he passed.

Outside of work, Joe loved to act and make people laugh and he did both in local film and live productions like The Throbbit and Vlasic Park. Joe was never afraid to be silly because he was a kid at heart that loved superhero movies (especially Spiderman), Star Trek and going to watch the South Bend Cubs.

Joe’s family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, therapists and staff at Memorial Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic. They all did their best to give him more time with us.

A memorial visitation will be held at Saint Joseph Funeral Home, 824 S. Mayflower Dr., South Bend, IN on August 29, 2025, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

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