It is a sad day here at SFist as we mourn the loss of one of our own — and it is the first time a full-time staffer has passed for a site that has been in existence 22 years. Joe Kukura, who began contributing to the site in its earliest days and became its associate editor in the last decade, has died at age 55. The cause was complications from gastric cancer.
Joe had continued working at SFist these last several months while undergoing treatment, and he praised the care he was receiving at UCSF Medical Center. His prognosis became dire only in the last several days as he was diagnosed with pneumonia, and he passed away early Friday at UCSF Parnassus with family members at his side.
Joe was born in Russell, Ohio on December 7, 1970. He attended West Geauga High School in Chesterland, Ohio, and attended Ohio University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1995…