He as born in Bremen, Indiana on December 26, 1952 to Lewis and Marthelen (Rottmiller) Zellers.
Michael grew up in Indiana and graduated from Winamac High School in 1971. Following high school, he attended Ball State University and entered the architecture program. His sister, also a BSU student, introduced him to his future wife, Gail Albers, who was also attending Ball State. They were married on August 17, 1974 in Valparaiso, Indiana.
After graduating in 1976, Michael and Gail settled in Springfield, Illinois, where Michael was able to begin his architecture career with John Lampros, Ltd. After a couple job changes, he eventually began work at Graham & Hyde Architects in 1987 and stayed until retirement in 2021. The majority of his architecture work included schools, churches, and medical facilities.
Michael and Gail had three children: Andrew (Julee) of Heyworth, IL, Timothy (deceased), and Kristen (Daniel) Blood of Arvada, CO, and 8 grandchildren.
Michael had a wide variety of interests, with his favorites being hunting and fishing. He taught those skills to his sons and was also helping develop an interest in fishing with all of his grandchildren. He was a wonderful father and grandfather, and all of the children adored him. He was always busy with some kind of project and could tinker around and fix almost anything.
Services will be held on Friday, May 12, at Bisch Funeral Home West, 2931 S. Koke Mill Road, Springfield, IL, 62711. Visitation will begin at 11:00am, followed by a memorial service at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Land of Lincoln Honor Flight.
