City Celebrates Joe Hada Memorial Clock Addition to Downtown Painesville
On Thursday, November 6, the City of Painesville hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new memorial street clock located on the corner of S Park Place and Main Street. The entire cost of the beautiful clock was donated by the Hada Family in honor of the late Joe Hada Jr., a lifelong Painesville resident and Harvey High School graduate, who served 32 years on Painesville City Council including multiple terms as Council President and Chair of the Economic Development Committee.
“We view the clock as a way to honor his lifetime of service and a family legacy tightly interwoven with the minutes, hours and decades of this City’s history. My dad [Joe] knew every moment mattered, and he used his to make a difference,” said Julia Hada, his daughter.
The former Councilman passed away in March 2025 at the age of 75. Known for his dedication to education and passion for coaching local sports team, Joe held fast to the saying “as the opportunity, so the responsibility.” He received his bachelor’s degree from Heidelberg University and master’s from Cleveland State. He was a U.S. History and Government teacher at Mentor High School for 29 years. Joe had a lifelong passion for wrestling, dedicating over 50 years to the sport as an athlete, coach and official, and was inducted into the Ohio chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022.
The Hada family has strong ties to the Painesville community. In the early 1900s, Joe’s immigrant grandparents moved to Painesville and planted their orchard where the Route 2 overpass on Richmond Street stands today. Joe was the first member of the family to graduate from college and carried with him the strong commitment to community that his parents passed onto him.
“We are elated with the clock and its placement, especially as it is situated on the very streets around the Square that Joe's grandfather swept by hand,” said Mary Hada.
Joe’s life of service to the City of Painesville lives on through his family. His wife, Mary, currently serves as a member of the Painesville Planning Commission and is a newly-elected PCLS Board member; his daughter, Betsy, is a teacher and coach at Harvey; his son, Joe, serves as the City prosecutor; and his daughter ,Julia, although no longer in the area, dedicates her time to non-profit boards and local youth sports.
The clock was purchased from the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio and features a historic design, a bronze plaque inscription, and LED backlight. While the design nods to the history of the community, at the top of the clock is a modern GPS component, which works with satellites to provide accurate time and daylight savings adjustments.
