Joseph James Csomo

Joseph James Csomo, 81, passed away in his Dyer home Sunday, March 15, 2026. He lost a short battle with small cell bladder carcinoma, an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Born July 14, 1944, Joe was born in East Chicago to Hungarian immigrants, who meant to name him James Joseph but there was a misunderstanding at the hospital. When young, he played the accordion, occasionally skipped school, and engaged in some innocent mischief with his brother and friends. Always ready with a quick joke, Joe would brighten the room with his wit and laughter.

Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1965, Joe was trained as a cook and fought in the Vietnam War for 13 months. He didn’t talk much about what he saw during battle, even as he lamented how he and other troops were treated when they returned.

He married Cindy Jo (Bennett) in 1969, who survives him; he fiercely loved and defended his family. Joe worked at Inland Steel for 40 years in shipping. He celebrated the wins of the Yankees, Celtics and Packers; enjoyed listening to country music, watching NASCAR and reading books about World War II.

Joe was once a competitive bowler, valued his vehicles and mowed a neat yard. He hated air travel. Road trips were always his favorite, and he and Cindy bought an RV in 2017, trekking across the region and country every chance they had. Joe had hoped to fire up the RV again for a trip in May, but it wasn’t meant to be.

In addition to Cindy, Joe is survived by his daughter Deanna (Scott) Ferrell of South Bend and son Brandon (Vicky) Csomo of Hong Kong, China. He is also survived by two granddaughters, Natalia McCool and Valerie Csomo. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Ernie, and granddaughter Anna “Phoenix” McCool.

Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, March 23, 2026 at Fagen-Miller Funeral Home, 1920 Hart Street, Dyer. There will be a brief service there at 1 p.m., after which he immediately will be interred at Calumet Park Cemetery, 2305 W. 73rd Ave., Merrillville.

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