Award-winning film editor from Braddock

PASQUALE ‘PATSY’ BUBA April 16, 1946 - Sept. 12, 2018

Pasquale Buba was proof that you can take the boy out of Western Pennsylvania, but you can’t take Western Pennsylvania out of the boy.

An award-winning film engineer and editor, “Patsy” or “Pat,” as he was known to loved ones and friends, relocated from his hometown of Braddock to Studio City, Calif., more than 35 years ago.

But he never forgot his roots, said his brother, documentary filmmaker and educator Tony Buba.

“We were on the phone almost every day,” said Tony Buba of Braddock Hills. “We visited often.”

His brother lost his battle with lung cancer on Sept. 12. He was 72.

Pasquale Buba was perhaps best known for his collaborations with famed director George Romero.

The two met when Mr. Buba was working for WQEDTV as a sound engineer and editor in the 1970s, shortly after he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts.

A standout saxophone and clarinet player at Braddock High School, Mr. Buba received a full scholarship to CMU but couldn’t find many local job opportunities afterward.

“He was interested in music first — that was his real love,” his brother said. “But, he couldn’t find work as a classically trained musician in Pittsburgh.”

Mr. Buba had two small roles as an actor in the Romero films “Martin” and “Dawn of the Dead” before the two joined in editing Mr. Romero’s 1981 film, “Knightriders.”

In 1985, Mr. Buba edited Mr. Romero’s “Day of the Dead,” followed by his films “Monkey Shines,” “Two Evil Eyes” and “The Dark Half,” written by Stephen King.

“[Mr. Romero] became one of our dearest friends,” said Mr. Buba’s wife, Zilla Clinton Buba. The couple met while working at WQED and married in December 1983 before moving to California.

WQED producer and actress Mary Rawson, who played Cousin Mary Owl on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” described Mr. Buba as a dear friend who could not be replaced.

“Pat was without peer, as sweet as he was brilliant, and he was able to edit film with melodic grace as well as rhythm because at heart he was a musician,” she said.

During his frequent trips home, they would often get together to catch up, Ms. Rawson said.

“Each trip meant we’d have time with him, most often at La Prima in the Strip, where he got ‘coffee like you can’t get in Los Angeles,’” she said.

In 1995, Mr. Buba met Al Pacino while working as an editor of “Heat,” directed by Michael Mann and starring Mr. Pacino and Robert DeNiro.

A year later, Mr. Pacino asked Mr. Buba to edit his directorial debut with the documentary film “Looking for Richard.” The work netted him an award from the American Cinema Editors Association.

Tony Buba remembered what a thrill it was for his mother to talk to and later meet Mr. Pacino during a visit at her son’s home.

“He got Pacino to call our mom,” Tony Buba said. “They had lunch and coffee at his house. He did films that were personal projects of Pacino’s.”

Over the years, Pasquale Buba worked with other Hollywood legends, including Martin Scorsese and Johnny Depp — both sent flowers when Mr. Buba’s father died.

Mr. Buba also edited 1993’s “Striking Distance,” a movie filmed in Pittsburgh, starring Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker.

“He really homed his editing skills over a period of time,” Tony Buba said.

Tony Buba said he will miss getting together with his brother to talk about their favorite films and television shows and to reflect on their childhood.

“We just had wonderful parents and grew up on a great street on Braddock,” he said. “It was just such an amazing time.”

The brothers loved traveling together with their wives and parents, especially to Tursi, Italy, the hometown of their mother, Angeline Buba, where they were honorary citizens.

“We traveled to the village a couple of times together,” Tony Buba said. “We would have loved to go to Italy one more time.” Their mother died in 2017.

Pasquale Buba retired several years ago and focused much of his time on his many rescue pets, his wife said.

“He was the best person I ever knew,” she said. “He was kind — just a kind person.”

Details are expected to be finalized soon for a memorial service in November.