Gloria J. Zahnd

1945 - 2025

Gloria J. Zahnd
07/03/1945 - 09/11/2025
Gloria "Gigi" Zahnd passed away peacefully on September 11th, 2025 in Redwood City, CA. She was born in 1945 to proud parents Harrison and Sabra (Brock) Wiedenkofer. She grew up next to the Cow Palace with her sisters, Lola and Donna, in what was then called Bayshore City. She attended high school at Tamalpais High in Mill Valley. Her weekends were spent with her horses, Snickers and, later, Smokey. She was part of the San Francisco Equestrian Society and was in many horse shows all over the Bay Area and took care of them well into her early 20s.
Gloria attended Mr. C Beauty School from 1965 - 1967, where she met her best friend, Patricia Song. Together, they opened Auntie Mame's Beauty Salon in San Francisco, which they ran together until the late 1970's. During that time, she met and married Raymond Zahnd. They settled down and had two children, Andrew Zahnd (1973) and Jennifer (Zahnd) Larson (1978).
Gloria enjoyed becoming a stay-at-home mother, and continued to do so until she rejoined the workforce in 1992, when she joined Pat Song at her printing press (Liberty Press) in San Francisco. Around the same time, Gloria and Raymond's marriage ended amicably. When technology took over, Gloria went back to college and got her degree in Early Childhood Education. She joined her daughter, Jenny, at Palcare in Burlingame, where she stayed until her official retirement in 2008. Her retired years were joyfully spent helping with her grandchildren Reese (2007) and Drew (2013). She also had many happy years with her furry companions, Watson, and then June.
Gigi spent her later years visiting longtime friends, spending time with her children and grandchildren, and walking her dog. She will be greatly missed and a Celebration of Life is planned for Friday, October 17th at 12 p.m., at Dominic's in South San Francisco.