Fred Emil Zacharias

Fred E. Zacharias, 96, of Columbus, Ohio passed at Kobacker Hospice House Wednesday, May 4th, 2022, surrounded by his loving family following a brief illness.

Born July 29, 1925, he was the son of the late Fred and Goldie (Furbee) Zacharias.  He was preceded in death by his wife, Pauline (Woods) Zacharias, sisters Linda Galloway and Mary Lou Dodds and brothers Richard, Donald and Clarence “Skip” and Larry Zacharias.

Fred, “Zack” answered the nation’s call and was drafted into the Marines in 1943 and served at the battle of Iwo Jima.  The GI Bill granted him the opportunity for education, and he graduated from Hiram College and received his Masters from Oberlin with that course work later acknowledged as a Doctor of Divinity from Vanderbilt University. 

Rev. Zack had a long and cherished ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  He served Disciple churches in Lordstown, Mantua, Chardon and Medina, Ohio.  He was called to East San Diego Church, California and shepherded it’s move to a new building and location, Tierra Santa Christian Church.  He was a wonderful, insightful preacher and a dedicated pastoral minister.  He was also active in his communities as a Rotarian, served on the local boards of the YMCA and also as a docent at San Diego Mission Trails Park after his retirement.

Fred married Hannah “Peg” Weir in 1950, and they had two children, Fred Eric (Claudia) Zacharias and Lorrie (John) Burns.  They divorced and Fred married Fern Epstein, who predeceased him in 1987.  In 1988, Fred married Pauline Woods, and after their retirement, they traveled extensively in their RV, “Miss Daisy”. Fred loved and enjoyed his extended family, including his grandson and his family, Ian and Melody Zacharias and their five children.  He shared wonderful experiences with Pauline’s family, Terri Hutton and her children Travis and Katie (Chris) McKee over his years in San Diego.  Likewise, he enjoyed time with John’s daughters and families after his marriage to Lorrie – Tara, Karl, Katie and Jack Koch, Emily and Louis Weeks and Elizabeth (Bizz) and Greg Lloyd, especially in his later years after moving back to Ohio. 

A service of remembrance will occur at 2PM (visitation at 1PM) on Saturday, June 4th, 2022 at Peace Lutheran Church, 455 Clark State Rd, Gahanna, Ohio.  Memorials may be made to the “Clarence T. Gilham Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Fred E. Zacharias” at Hiram College, PO Box 67, Hiram, Ohio 44234. 

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