William Zellen

Remembering William David Zellen: Jan. 5, 1933 - Dec. 18, 2024

We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved father and husband William D. (Bill) Zellen on December 18, 2024. He passed gently surrounded by family at his home in Wayland, with his beloved wife of 65 years, Paula (Levy) Zellen, daughter Jody Zellen, and son Barry Zellen at his side. He also leaves his big sister, Harriet (Zellen) Goler; nephews Michael Goler, Andrew Goler and Robert Goler; grand-nephew Jonathan Goler; and many more relative including his beloved daughter-in-law, grandson, son-in-law, nieces-in-law, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, along with many dear friends and colleagues from every chapter of his life. Bill's warmth, kindness, generosity, and friendliness were felt by all, and he will be greatly missed.

An informal shiva will be held at Bill's Wayland home, starting Sunday, December 22 through Saturday, December 28, from 12 noon to 6 pm. A memorial celebration of Bill's life will be held early next summer at Waterville Valley, to which all friends and family are invited. (Details from the family to be announced.)

These past two years were marked by an intensifying battle against congestive heart failure (CHF) compounded by amyloidosis, which recently came to challenge his hitherto active lifestyle full of travel adventures, including regular visits to favorite destinations Paris, Vail and Waterville Valley as well as cruises all over Europe. He played tennis and skied until he was 85, and enjoyed driving well into his 91st year. Travel was much more than a hobby, as Bill spent the latter years of his career in the travel industry, which he came to after positions in financial management.

Preparing for a career in finance, Bill first served as treasurer of his class at Worcester's Classical high school. As reported in his 1950 Classic Myths yearbook, "Friendly, good-natured Bill - one of the most popular boys in the Senior Class - a tennis and ski enthusiast ... plans to study business administration at the University of Pennsylvania." At Penn, he studied at the Wharton School of Finance (Class of 1954), where he was a proud member of Alpha-Epsilon-Pi fraternity, remaining friends with his fraternity brothers throughout his life.

After serving in the Army from 1954-56, just as the Vietnam War got under way and where he did the bookkeeping for the officer's club at Fort Dix, he earned his MBA from Northeastern University (MBA). On a fortuitous blind date in Cambridge soon after returning to civilian life, Billy was introduced by lifelong friends Nancy and Michael Leavitt to Ms. Paula Levy, who in 1959 became Mrs. Paula Zellen.



Bill served as financial controller of the General Cinema Corporation (GCC), where he worked 24 years after earlier working in finance for Filene's Basement. While an executive at GCC, he brought to his work an entrepreneurial zeal and boundless enthusiasm, helping to conceive and implement GCC's acquisition of the Miami-based American Beverage Company, the largest independent Pepsi bottler at the time. Frequent trips to Florida in the early 1970s (including a memorable family vacation to the 1975 Pepsi Cola Bottling Convention at the then only four-year old Disney World Resort in Orlando) were followed by a 1976 movie co-production partnership with the London-based ITC Network forming Associated General Films that produced Voyage of the Damned, The Eagle Has Landed and sci-fi thriller Capricorn One.



Bill next invested in the purchase and modernization of Stateline Potato Chips in Wilbraham, where he was board chairman and treasurer, and introduced an early predecessor of what is now known as cloud computing through leased computer services over dedicated phone lines connected to in-house CRT units. As Bill explained to Chipper Snacker magazine in its May, 1982 edition, "We have all the advantages" of an in-house computer but "without the overhead and staff." Stateline would soon make headlines by setting the world record for the biggest bag of popcorn ever made, the length of an entire semi-truck and which took several hours to fill. He next launched Super Chip, a snack distribution company where he was president, with Cape Cod Potato Chips as its primary client, followed by International Fruit and Nut, an importer and distributer of gourmet treats. His son Barry fondly recalls store visits with Bill to ensure that the potato chip racks were well stocked, and that individual bags of chips were all upright and unrumpled, gently rearranging and fluffing them back into form when found askew. Struck by the care Bill brought to this task, his son would in later years seek to emulate this degree of hands-on precision and dedication to perfection of even the smallest of details.



Bill returned to the movie business with the purchase of the Brattle Cinema and later the Harvard Square Cinema, and also provided financial consulting for selected clients, including New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University) and Rogal Travel, with whom he worked several years, learning about the corporate and incentive travel business.



He then purchased his own travel company, providing countless opportunities for travelling the world with Paula, working with International Travel Concepts, Horizons Unlimited Travel, and Cleveland Circle Travel from the 1990s through the 2000s. Paula recalls one year, as their anniversary at the end of May approached, Billy asked her where she wanted to go for dinner. Her reply: Paris. The next day, he came home from work with tickets to France, asking if she was okay flying in coach. Her reply: It's our anniversary, that's too special for coach. So the next day, he came home with new tickets to France, this time in business class. A yearly anniversary tradition was thus born, and their annual trip to Paris (coincidental with the French Open at Roland Garros whose early rounds they made sure to attend) became a highlight for many years to come.

Hailing from Worcester, Bill was a proud fan of all the Boston-area teams, even during the lean years when the Patriots and the Red Sox were sure to break hearts. He famously took his family to games at Foxboro stadium where they boldly sat upon cushions bearing the logo of division rival Miami Dolphins, and both Paula and Jody would bring books to keep themselves occupied. The inherent risks of the game finally brought an end to their attendance after the tragic Daryl Stingley injury in 1978. Many years later, Bill would feel blessed to witness the unexpected Red Sox breaking of the famous curse of the Bambino in 2004, and he greatly enjoyed the Patriots' twenty-year dynasty of Belichick and Brady. The many championships of the Celtics and Bruins always made his daughter Jody's partner Brian jealous (like a typical Philadelphia "Phanatic"). Wagers would often be made and whether the drama of a game being played live or the cycles of the stock market, Bill always loved the concreteness of the final, unscripted outcome and always looked forward to the next contest (all the way through to the Patriots' December 15th blowout loss to the Cardinals).

Bill seamlessly transitioned to a working retirement by his late 80s that was so gradual it was never clear when (or even if) he stopped working, while his travel adventures continued with the energy of a young man. It was only in his 90s that trips became more localized to favorite spots (including Ogunquit and Waterville), and local culinary excursions to favorite restaurants (like Sweet Basil and 110 Grill).

In 2017, Bill was blessed with the arrival of his only grandchild, after which he enjoyed initial diaper- and baby formula- runs to the nearby CVS, and over time frequent visits to Connecticut, including outdoor picnics at the Waterford cottage during the long Covid pandemic (rain, snow or shine). Bill loved being a grandpa, and the feeling was reciprocal: upon his passing, his beloved grandchild set up a commemorative sign on Bill's traditional seat at the head of the dining room table, reserving this seat of honor for his continued, exclusive use – thus establishing a memorial for future holiday meals where Bill's presence will continue to be felt forever.

Then, when symptoms of CHF and amyloidosis appeared, his attention turned to treating and, in time, combating its advance. Bill brought to this health challenge the same energy, positivity, entrepreneurialism and creativity that he brought to all of his projects, winning hearts and finding support from a diverse team of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. And just a few weeks prior, he was able to proudly cast his vote in the momentous 2024 election from his hospital bed, which was dutifully delivered to the Town Clerk on election day by his family, optimistically contributing to America's future even as he knew his battle against CHF was nearing its conclusion.

Bill never gave up, and never stopped believing in the promise of the future, an optimism from which his many friends and family took much inspiration, and from which they now find solace. We remain heartbroken at the absence we feel, and at the quiet emptiness his absence brings to the home. We think always of him and will miss him forever. An informal shiva week will be held at Bill's Wayland home, starting Sunday, December 22 through Saturday, December 28, from 12 noon to 6 pm. A memorial celebration of Bill's life will be held early next summer in Waterville Valley, to which all friends and family are invited. (Details from the family to be announced.)