Peter Thomas Christopher Joseph "Pete" Zeien

1943 - 2024

Peter "Pete" Thomas Christopher Joseph Zeien of Carthage, Ill., passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, after a battle with melanoma. He was lovingly cared for by his family until his last breath when he left this life for life eternal.
Born Feb. 13, 1943, in the home of his Grandmother Brett in Antioch, he was the second of eight children of Paul Thomas and Helen Belvidere (Brett) Zeien. He attended St. Peter Elementary School and served as an altar boy at St. Peter Catholic Church. He graduated from Antioch Township High School and then attended Blackburn College where he majored in mathematics and played soccer.
Pete's 45-year teaching career began in Springfield. He moved to Carthage in the '70s when he purchased the 40-acre farm where he raised his three daughters. He proudly enabled them to participate in 4-H and raised cattle, horses, chickens, rabbits and barn cats, kept up a vegetable garden, and baled magnificent loads of square hay bales with the help of neighbors and the family's faithful border collie, "Babe." Many of his hours were tirelessly spent chopping wood and keeping a winter fire burning in the wood-burning stove as the only source of heat in the farmhouse.
Pete ended up teaching in Illinois, Hawaii and North Carolina. He sought to maintain classroom order, expecting only the best from his students, but also found joy regularly interacting with them on the playground and sharing food and conversation with them in the lunchroom. He cherished countless notes from his students sharing their gratitude for his impact on their lives.
Not only did Pete invest in the lives of his students, but he also faithfully served the community as a coach for many of his daughters' softball teams, teaching woodworking in the summers at College for Kids, as a referee for volleyball and basketball games, as an EMT, and in retirement served many hours with God's Pit Crew. He willingly led hymns, taught Sunday school and delivered communion meditations at both Denver Christian Church and Mt. Pleasant Christian Church, never to miss a Sunday. He enjoyed singing and performing with his daughters and shared meaningful songs at the Carthage July 4th celebration.
Pete enjoyed countless hours of reading. He especially enjoyed reading aloud with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Being miles apart didn't stop him, as he was able to read via video calls, or even record himself reading to them. He also loved a good campfire, drinking a dark beer and savoring a rare steak, attending any and all community fish fries, fishing with his daughters and grandchildren, making biscuits and gravy from scratch and cheesecake, but most of all, woodworking– creating countless pieces of beautiful custom furniture which his family will forever treasure.
Pete was preceded in death by his parents, sister Kathleen, brother David and sister-in-law Patsy. He is survived by three daughters: Elizabeth (Chad) Dorothy, Theresa (Winston) Tierney and Sarah (Jay) Cline; 11 grandchildren: Hannah (Chris) Nelson, Jonathon, Leah and Jacob Dorothy; Lauren, Mairead, Killian and Mairin Tierney; Dayla, Miriam and Grady Cline; as well as two great-grandchildren: Silas and Vivian Nelson. Pete is also survived by four brothers and one sister: Joseph, Michael (Mary Jo), Patrick (Diania), Paul Zeien and Helen (Mark) McKinney as well as many nieces and nephews. Pete's list of students, church friends and family, and others he helped along life's way is innumerable.
His favorite Bible verse was Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."
A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29, at Denver Christian Church in Denver (Ill.). A visitation will be held prior to the service starting at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Denver Christian Church.