He passed away in the early morning of August 28, His father was a barber, and a part-time preacher. While in high school, Zel was involved in an auto accident that resulted in critical injuries and it was only at the insistence of his sister-in-law a nurse that his life was saved. Beginning around the 9th grade, Zel played football on the varsity football team.
He joined the high school basketball team, and they went on to win the Jasper County, Mississippi championship three out of four years of his high school career. He also spent time as a lifeguard and Boy Scout leader. In addition to athletics, Zel possessed a sharp mind. During his work in a concrete yard, he amazed customers with his ability to total their orders in his head and went on to become the valedictorian of his senior class in He was then sent by Navy ship, the A.
When he returned to the states, he was assigned to Robins Air Force base in Georgia. Upon his honorable discharge from service in the Air Force on September 11, , Zel went on to serve in the Mississippi National Guard Reserves for one year. After returning from the service, he went to work in a warehouse as a shipping clerk for Northern Electric Company, a manufacturer of small appliances.
His strong attention to detail resulted in a move to the accounting department. In accounting, he developed a relationship with a demanding customer and this led to a career in sales. Zel was a good salesman who focused on his customers and was subsequently promoted to a role in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They spent a short time there before relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina, where their daughter Kathlyn and son Ray were born. The family then relocated to Atlanta, Georgia for a couple of years before settling in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
While living in Arlington Heights, the family attended the First Baptist Church of Palatine, where Zel served as a Sunday School teacher and Deacon and the family made some life-long friendships. He did that for many years before moving on to roles at Ultimate Electronics and as a driver with Avis before his retirement. Zel enjoyed watching sports, running, and bicycling.
