David Buerck Zoellner

1931 - 2023

David Buerck Zoellner
David Buerck Zoellner died January 28, 2023. He was born in St. Louis MO on June 18, 1931, along with his fraternal twin brother Paul who predeceased David in 2019. Their parents were Edwin and Mariana Sanchez Zoellner; Mariana's family had been in what is now New Mexico since the 1500's. Edwin's family had immigrated from Germany to Southeast Missouri.
David liked to say that his last address was his 40th: these included Socorro NM and Gary Indiana during the Depression and then Perryville, Missouri where he grew up; Columbia MO for the University of Missouri where he joined ROTC and received a Journalism degree; Texas where he had his military training; New Jersey – or the Jersey Shore – where he served as Commanding Officer of the Nike Missile Base in the 1950's; New York City where he was one of the original "Mad Men" on Madison Avenue; Evanston IL where he set up the Midwest office for Precision Valve Company and later started his own pharmaceutical packaging firm, Xactdose.
In 1988 he married Ginna Hamilton; when she retired in 1999 they left for Nice, France, where they lived for 15 years during the winter months. They both knew that was the best decision they'd ever made. They moved finally to California in 2014 to be near Ginna's daughter who would be a support for Ginna who was the caregiver for David for the final years of his life.
David played tennis for more than 60 years and was one of the founding members of the Wilmette Racqueteers; he also played golf and was a member of Butler National Golf Club. He was an antique car enthusiast and loved driving his 1952 MGTD. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, maintaining friendships from college days until the end of his life. He loved traveling and visited over 35 countries; reading, painting, and making rather quirky collages from found objects. His friends and family were surprised and delighted to receive his handmade watercolor postcards. He had a great sense of humor which entertained everyone until the day he died. David will be well remembered and dearly missed.
He is survived by his wife, Ginna Hamilton Zoellner, his son Reed Zoellner (Allison) and his daughter Jennifer Cacioppo (Glen) and two grandsons, Matt and Alex Cacioppo as well as stepson Peter (Cheri), granddaughter Peyton, stepdaughter Andrea, and beloved Siamese cat Sienna.
The family would like to thank David's three caregivers who became like family members; the caring staff at Silver Star Senior Care; and Anchor Hospice who saw him through to the end. A small Celebration of Life is planned in Chicago in the near future.