Jan Carrow Zeller

Jan Carrow Zeller December 6, 1952 - April 8, 2007 Jan Carrow Zeller, age 54, went home to be with her Lord in Grand Junction, Colorado on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007, after a brave and lengthy battle with lung cancer. Jan was born Anne Alspector in Kansas City, Missouri on December 6, 1952. She was adopted as an infant by Wayne D. Zeller and Kathryn Carrow (Kit) Zeller, then of Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Jan was discovered to have a significant hearing loss, and by the age of 2 was part of the first class of the University of Kansas Nursery School for the Deaf. Jan then attended Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton, Massachusetts, until being mainstreamed into public school at the age of 11. Jan graduated from North Hills High School, Pittsburgh, PA in 1972, and received her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Bethany (West Virginia) College in 1977. Jan excelled at swimming, and enjoyed cross-country skiing and lacrosse. Jan settled in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and worked as a Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor, then as an Accountant and Financial Analyst at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh from 1980 until moving to Grand Junction, Colorado in 1995. Jan married John L. Linko in Chatham, Massachusetts on October 8, 1988. Their son Evan Andrew Zeller Linko was born in Pittsburgh on June 29, 1991. Jan became involved in the ministry of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Grand Junction, and from 1997 to 2001 served the church as its' Children's Ministry coordinator. Jan's faith drew her to become more interested in the ministry, and in 2002 she began online studies toward a Masters Degree in Divinity from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. The family also began attending Canyon View Vineyard Church. At about the same time, Jan began to organize a regular fellowship gathering of deaf and hearing-impaired adults in the Grand Junction area, as well as actively participate in the Vineyard Women's Ministry and the Lord's Write Hand writer's group. Jan was also a volunteer mentor at Hope Haven. Jan continued to be involved in ministry and outreach to deaf and hearing-impaired adults in the Grand Valley after becoming ill in 2005. Jan loved the beach, walking and hiking, crafts, oldies music, Asian and Mediterranean cooking, current events, plants, and foreign films. She was also befriended by numerous cats over her lifetime, and is sorely missed by her two most recent feline companions, Smokey and Bandit. Jan was a loving and caring wife and mother, and an example of perseverance and faith throughout her life. She touched the lives of many in a positive and meaningful way. Jan is survived by her husband, John Linko and son Evan Linko of Grand Junction, Colorado; her brother, Michael W. Zeller, Orleans, Massachusetts, her aunt Sandra Smith and husband Wallace Smith, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin; aunt Lois Zeller, Mishawaka, Indiana; and cousins Connie Alexander, Nancy Bycroft, Debbie Emshoff, and Scot Smith. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Kit Zeller of West Chatham, Massachusetts. A memorial service will be held in the Chapel of Canyon View Vineyard Church, 736 24 1/2 Rd., Grand Junction, Colorado at 3:00 PM, Wednesday, April 18, 2007. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Jan C. Zeller are suggested to Clarke School for the Deaf, 47 Round Hill Road, Northampton, Massachusetts 01069, St. Mary's Regional Cancer Center, PO Box 1628, Grand Junction, CO 81502, and Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, PO Box 60307, Grand Junction, CO 81506. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Martin Mortuary.