Obituary of James Frank Zell

James Frank Zell, 83 years of age, passed away on Friday, January 28, 2022 at Advanced Healthcare of Colorado Springs.

James was born December 9, 1938 to the late Robert and Estelle Zell in Chowchilla, California. He had three brothers and two half-brothers who all preceded him in death. On April 18, 1959 James married the love of his life, Dorothy Jean Farmer. Her nickname for James was “The Professor.” They were married for 62 ½ years and had three children. James had a love for his family, his country, and sports. In sports, his first love was fastpitch softball and was known as Zealous Zell on the pitching mound. When not on the mound he played an awesome short stop. He played on city and Air Force leagues and was also on an Air Force traveling team. He also loved to coach and did so for his daughters in softball and his son in baseball and basketball. James served his country in the Air Force for twenty years and retired as a E-7 Master Sergeant. During his time in the military, he received many awards and traveled to various parts of the world but being home with his family was his favorite place to be. James has passed down many of these passions to his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

James is survived by his wife, Dorothy Jean; three children, Theresa Ann Yeadon (Mark), Licia Diane Paul, and James Frank Zell Jr. (Annette); nine grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on the 8^th of February, 2 pm at Pikes Peak National Cemetery, 10545 Drennan Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80925, followed by a reception to celebrate James’ life.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of James Frank Zell to either The Gary Sinise Foundation at https://www.garysinisefoundation.org or K9’s for Warriors at https://k9sforwarriors.org/.