Don Zern

Donald N. Zern, 88, of Fort Wayne, died Friday January 17, 2025 at St. Anne Home. He was born in Fort Wayne on May 11, 1936, the son of the late Norbert and Josephine (Hilgendorf) Zern.
Don is survived by his wife of 58 years, Janet (Kime) Zern; his children, Tonya (Gary) Deen, Tina (Jon) Kurtz and Brad (Shelley) Zern, all of Fort Wayne; Tim (Pam) Bussen, Texas, Tom (Beth) Bussen, Tennessee, and Terry (Joyce) Bussen, Ted (Jennifer) Bussen and Todd Bussen, all of Fort Wayne; his grandchildren, including Madelyn (Collin Haag) Kurtz, of Cement City MI, Logan (Hana Elmore) Kurtz, of Seymour IN, Ben Zern, of Fort Wayne; and his sister, Judy Zern, of Fort Wayne.
In addition to his parents, Don was also preceded in death by a daughter, Tammy Zern; granddaughter, Miranda Kurtz; brother, Galen Zern, and sisters, June Patterson and Sharon Holland.
Don spent his formative years at St. Jude’s Parish. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1955 where he loved to play basketball. In 1966 he married Janet Kime. Together, they had three children, and they settled in Churubusco, Indiana. Don was a draftsman at Magnavox Corp., retiring in 1991 after 35 years with the company. Don was a car enthusiast and belonged to the Model A Car Club; he enjoyed the time spent with his family riding in his 1929 Ford Model A Roadster, often in parades distributing candy to those along the route. Don also had a collection of VW Beetle bug cars. His most famous VW bug was decked out in "Kool Filter King cigarette" decals and used as advertisement. Don was an avid toy and antique collector all his life specializing in antique lunch boxes. Don's other love was music (bluegrass, polka, country, gospel). He was a self-taught banjo player. Don had the "gift of gab" and he loved people; he never met a stranger. In his last year of life, Don resided at St. Anne Home & Retirement Community where he attended daily Mass in the Chapel. He listened daily to his music and could often be found putting together a puzzle or playing bingo.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30am Friday January 24, 2025 at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave, with visitation from 9:30-10:30am. Visitation is also on Thursday from 2-4 & 6-8pm. Burial in Catholic Cemetery. The family's preferred memorial is St. Anne Home & Retirement Community, online at sacfw.org or by mail to 1900 Randallia Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46805. To share a remembrance of Don, or to offer condolences to his family, please visit DivineMercyFuneralHome.com.