Zelota Markham McDonald

Zelota Markham McDonald died June 28, 2026 at a nursing home in Pittsboro, NC. She was born in the Swift Creek community near Apex, NC to Excell and Leona Patterson Markham on May 31, 1934. Her husbands predeceased her: Wilborne Truby Yates, William Max Miller, Herbert Elton “Buddy” Williams, and Ivan David McDonald, Sr.

She is survived by her sister Edith Markham of Greenville, SC and her brother Dr. Robert Wade Markham and wife Lois of High Point, NC, and her sister-in-law Esther Winslow Markham of Goldsboro, NC. Other siblings and their spouses predeceased her: Mary Carolyn Markham, Excell Markham, Jr., James Archie Markham (Marie), Baswell Henderson Markham (Hazel), Cecilia Inez Markham Poe (Dewey), and Dr. Thomas Lowell Markham. She is also survived by 15 nieces and nephews both by blood and marriage, and 15 grandnieces and -nephews and 13 great grandnieces and -nephews. She also leaves behind children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of her husbands Max and Ivan.

Zelota taught home economics at Broughton High School for 30 years, after graduating from Apex High School in 1952 and Bob Jones University in 1956. She was an enthusiastic gardener, reader, jigsaw puzzler, and enjoyed shopping for jewelry and clothing. She attended Hillyer Memorial Christian Church where she sang in the choir, was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma honorary sorority, and served on the advisory board of a local branch of the State Employees Credit Union.

There will be a gathering of family and friends at Apex Funeral Home, 550 W. Williams St. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 10 a.m. followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. Internment of her ashes will be at Raleigh Memorial Park, 7501 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh. Memorials may be made to Hillyer Memorial Christian Church music fund, 718 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27603 or any other charity.

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