John Zeller

1938 - 2020

John R Zeller
1938-2020
John Raymond Zeller, 82, passed peacefully on June 8, 2020 at his home in Houston, Texas. His final days were spent surrounded by friends and family. If you asked one hundred people who John Zeller was, each person would have a different story to tell. A world traveler. A beach comber. An avid gardener. An FBI agent. A soccer coach. A lion tamer. The biggest baby in the universe. A movie critic. And probably your best friend. John was none of those things, or perhaps all of them rolled in to one. John was born July 21, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a single child, raised by a mother who wouldn't take no for an answer, John learned the importance of hard work and a drive for success. As a young adult, and a manager for the Kroger Corporation, John met his wife Louise and the two of them embarked on a journey of building a legacy of love, devotion and always put family first. With what seemed to be one thousand kids in tow, John and Louise spent time traveling the country RV camping, spending summers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York State enjoying nature and the great outdoors. John was also and an avid football fan and enjoyed attending the Cleveland Browns, Houston Oilers, Texas Longhorns and Houston Texans football games. John loved sports so much that once the family moved to Houston, Texas he became highly involved in the Texas Youth Soccer Association, where his daughter Lynn excelled. His community involvement didn't stop there. John also became President of the Homeowners Association, sat on many different community boards, and if you were lucky enough to be a neighbor, you sat outside (perhaps sharing and ice-cold beer) enjoying the scenery of his pristinely kept yard. Over the years, John had multiple setbacks due to many different health ailments...but it never stopped him from being a community activist and a world traveler. Some like to consider him kin to the bionic man. Once something got him down, John battled back with a love and thirst for living life to the fullest. One of his favorite quotes was "Dying is inevitable, but dying without living is unacceptable". If you were to ask John what his greatest accomplishment was, he wouldn't say his 42 years and numerous promotions with the Kroger Company, or his successful endeavors with coastal real estate, he would say his greatest accomplishments would be marrying the love of his life Louise Zeller, being a devoted husband, father, and loyal friend. John leaves behind his loving wife Louise and family. His children, John Andrew Zeller (deceased), John Todd Zeller (Kim), Michelle Wagner (Mark), Lynn Zeller-Aldana (Gus), Donna Balmat-Jantz (Didier), Patricia Bricker, Phyllis Wilson (Donnie), Thomas Balmat (Kyungsoon), Annette George (Byron), and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren. If you were lucky enough to know John and even luckier to be a neighbor, you would know his love of the outdoors and most especially planting trees. It is said that he once planted over 50 trees in a front yard of the first family house. Today, those trees tower over Bainbridge Road. John would be pleased, if in his honor, you would plant a tree as a living memorial emphasizing his love and passion for life.