Zelia Yoder

Zelia Yoder, 101, passed away peacefully Thursday evening at the Passavant Retirement Community in Zelienople.

She was born July 30, 1915, in Steubenville, Ohio, to Charles and Laura Goodhart Snyder.

A graduate of Dayton (PA) High School and Wheeling Business College in West Virginia, she worked in banking in Vandergrift, Pa., until she married. After raising her family, she joined the staff of the News Tribune and then the Beaver County Times.

Zelia lived a beautiful and extraordinary life. In her younger days she loved to travel and fly, was an avid bowler and was an active member of the Trinity Lutheran Church of New Brighton, Pa.

Zelia was full of love and compassion, which she joyfully shared with everyone she met. Her laughter was infectious and her faith unwavering. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends and remembered always for her gentle ways and oversized heart.

She is survived by her sister and brother, Evelyn Wall of Charlottesville, Va., and Charles Snyder of Oakmont, Pa.; her daughter, Diane Yoder of Columbus, Ohio; her son, Thomas Yoder of St. George, Maine; her granddaughter, Casey Norris; her six great-grandchildren, all of Knoxville, Tenn.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Zelia was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Palmer Yoder; and her sisters, Leone Pall, Lucille Wall and Lillian Wall.

YODER — Family visitation for Zelia Yoder, who died Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, will be from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the Boylan Funeral Home, 324 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople, followed by a burial service at the Salem Cemetery in Porter Township, Pa.

A memorial service will be conducted in the spring to celebrate Zelia’s incredible life.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Seaman Chapel Memorial Fund at the Passavant Retirement Community, 105 Burgess Drive, Zelienople, PA 16063.

Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.boylanfuneralservices.com.