William "Bill" Zelen

Bill was born on September 5, 1947, to Frank and Lucille Zelen. He graduated from Duluth East in 1965 and went on to obtain his masters from the University of North Dakota in 1970. While at UND, he fell for the love of his life and forever soulmate, his wife Sally.

Bill began his career teaching in the speech department at UMD. He went on to earn his Doctorate in Business Communication from Kent State University in 1974 and continued with teaching on the east coast in Virginia, including a position with NASA.

With the birth of their sons, Dan and Matt, Bill and Sally returned home to Duluth to continue teaching at the College of St. Scholastica where he was Assoc. Professor and Chair of the Management Department.

In 1982, Bill made the transition from education to become the VP and Senior Trust Officer at North Shore Bank of Commerce. In 1991, he then went on to a successful career as a Financial Advisor, initially with US Bank Piper Jaffray and ultimately retiring from a position he loved with RBC Wealth Management.

He had a passion for community involvement and was an active participant on multiple levels throughout the area. Some of these include being past Board Chair at the Benedictine Health Center as well as the VanGordon Foundation of Polinsky, past President of the Arrowhead Estate Planning Council, and board member for the Duluth Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club 25. He also helped create the Minnesota Breakfast Dialogue Series and was Director of the Duluth Division of the American Heart Association.

His faith in God was very important to him, and he and Sally were active parishioners at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

Bill is survived by his wife of nearly 46 years and his two sons, Dan (Camille) and Matt (Deanne), as well as six loving grandchildren who adored riding bikes with their "Papa" up at Island Lake.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Lucille, as well as Bill and Sally's first son Matthew, born in 1971.

Bill was an amazing son, husband, father and papa, who will be deeply missed. His family and countless friends will cherish the memories of family outings, as well as fishing and golf trips. Bill's love of life and his contagious smile will always be remembered and held close to our hearts.

Visitation: 5-7 pm Monday, August 8th at Holy Rosary Church 2801 E. 4th Street and from 1:00 until the 2:00 pm Funeral Service on Tuesday, August 9th Holy Rosary Church. Please leave a memory of Bill or words of support for the family at www.bellbrothersfuneralhome.com

Thank you to Diamond Willow and the exceptional staff for such compassionate care during the final stages of our family’s journey with Alzheimer’s.

A special thank you to our mom, who tirelessly cared for our dad and her soulmate to the end.