Leland Doyle Zellers

Leland was born in Annapolis, Illinois on May 19, 1934, the son of Golder and Exie (Kemper) Zellers. From a young age he was responsible for tending to the farm animals and planting row crops when not in school. He graduated from Robinson High School.

Prior to his induction into the U.S. Army Leland worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and he married Shelba Jean Bailey; they resided in Robinson where Leland returned after his service in Korea. They had two children, Sheri and Terry.

After accepting a job with IBM, the family moved to Greencastle where Leland designed and began building the family’s current home himself, something he was very proud of. He was a first-generation firefighter and was one of the founders of the Madison Township Volunteer Fire Department where he served as fire chief.

Leland worked for IBM for 22 years as a facilities maintenance manager until the company’s closure; he continued working in the building in the same role with Fashion Bug for nine years and for Area 30 also.

He was a train engineer for the Indiana Transportation Museum, driving the Indiana State Fair Train, and was a member of Gobin United Methodist Church, Greencastle VFW, and the American Legion. He was a skilled mechanic and builder who loved working on things in the garage, tending to his yard, traveling and fishing, but most loved time spent with friends and family.

Leland is survived by his wife of 69 years, Shelba Jean (Bailey) Zellers; his daughter Sheri Roach (Tom); grandsons Adam Roach (Amy), Danville, IN and Alex Roach Beckley (Lindsey), Franklin, IN; and six great-grandchildren: Claire and Lillian Roach, Nora Beckley, Hayden Bilsky, and Jenna and Austin Negrete; two nephews Steve and Jim Zellers and one niece, Linda Shubert.

He was preceded in death by his son, Terry Lee Zellers; his parents; his brother Howard Zellers and sister-in-law, June; niece Sandra Zellers; and in-laws Elmer and Dale Bailey.

Services will be held 3:00 PM (ET) Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Hopkins-Rector Funeral Home with Pastor Bryan Langdoc officiating. Visitation will be held from 1:00 PM until time of service at Hopkins-Rector Funeral Home, 4 Percy Julian Drive, Greencastle. A private family burial will take place on Monday at Forest Hill Cemetery.

Memories may be shared with the family at www.Hopkins-Rector.com.