Funeral services for Reuben Zahn 89 of Daytona Beach who passed away on Saturday will be 11:00am Saturday July 14 2007 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church with Father Taylor officiating. Burial will follow services at Daytona Memorial Park. Calling hours will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on Friday June 13 2007 in the chapel of Baggett & Summers Funeral Home.
Reuben was born in Bookman SC one of twelve brothers and sisters. From Bookman she moved to Titusville then to Daytona Beach. She attended Mainland High School and Florida State College for Women. She married Pete Zahn in 1942 and after moving around in the service they established their home at 1709 South Peninsula Drive which they bought in 1945. She served as matriarch to her three boys and to many who came through her door which was always open to family and friends who would stop by to sit at the kitchen table and discuss triumphs or tragedies or maybe just have a bowl of homemade soup which was always on the stove. After a chat with Reuben everyone always felt better about whatever it was that brought them to visit. She always saw the silver lining in each situation and dispensed the right advice.
She had her hands full raising three active boys yet had enough room in her heart and home to include the neighborhood kids and "adopting" Wyc Woodfin and the daughter she always wanted Sharon Elvidge. During the Sixties and Seventies the house was filled with the boys' high school friends and later young growing families as all kept venturing by to share accomplishments or just sit and chat. Of course the soup was still on the stove!
Eating out always took a little longer than necessary because she had to stop and "coo" at any and every child in the place. She lived her favorite phrase "The joy of living." After she became a grandmother in 1969 she came to be called "Gama" which made her beam.
Reuben loved to travel abroad and enjoyed weekend trips to their fishing camp on the St. Johns River in Astor with her husband Pete until his death in 1997. Having grown up on a farm she loved home cooking and would go to the farmers market every Saturday for fresh vegetables. She liked to start her day with an early morning walk on the beach to the pier and back.
Reuben also offered spare time for the PTA work at Lenox Avenue School the Junior Service League and the Ladies Auxiliary of Halifax Medical Center. For a hobby she enjoyed painting.
She was a member of St. Mary's Episcopal Church.
Survivors include her sons Pete Jr. (Patty) Daytona Beach Max (Eva) Jacksonville Greg (Andrea) Palm Harbor Wyc (Sharon) Daytona Beach a sister Isabel Dickson St. Augustine and six grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband the love of her life Pete and a grandson Jason.
Memorial donations may be made in Reuben's name to: Hospice of Palm Coast. 149 S. Ridgewood Ave. Suite 400 Daytona Beach FL 32114.