Michael James Zentmeyer

Retired elementary school principal and lifelong Reds fan Michael James Zentmeyer, aged 69, passed away on March 7, 2024 surrounded by his loving family. He courageously battled myelodysplastic syndrome for seven months after beating acute myeloid leukemia eight years ago.

He is survived by his wife, Ellen Clayton; his children, Jordan Fredrickson (Alex) and Daniel Zentmeyer (Teresa Cervantes) and the mother of his children, Shannon Zentmeyer. Michael was a cherished Papa to Wren and Clay Fredrickson. He is also survived by his brother Don Zentmeyer (Mary), sister Tina Taylor (Kenny), and four nieces and nephews, along with their families.

Michael was born on October 14, 1954, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, at the age of 22, where he happily lived the rest of his life as close to the beach as possible. He was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and received a Masters of Education from UNC Wilmington. His expansive career as an educator with New Hanover County Schools began in 1976 teaching 6th grade at Snipes Elementary and officially ended when retired as Principal of Parsley Elementary in 2008. However, no one was surprised when he quickly found himself back as an administrator at Cape Fear Center for Inquiry for many years after that. Although it may seem like he chose his profession for the perk of having summers off to sail, that was just a bonus; it was clear to all around him that working with children was his passion. It's hard to know how many lives he touched as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, administrator, and role model in his over 35-year career in Wilmington. He was a kind, fair and generous leader who truly believed what goes around, comes around.

Outside of work, Michael was an incredibly respected and engaged community figure. Most notable were his volunteer efforts with Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity. After years of general volunteering, he served on the board of directors for 7 years and was elected president of the board of directors in 2018. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf, captaining many tennis teams as “Z.” A seasoned, organized traveler, Michael explored as many white sand beaches as he could with Ellen and adventured to over 20 national parks, most of them on his annual guys’ trips. His gentle side blossomed even more after his second retirement from Cape Fear Center for Inquiry and he found a knack for cultivating generations of sunflowers and zinnias in his backyard. At home, his children will always remember how devoted he was to them and invested in their interests, including going to every one of Jordan’s high school soccer games and building Daniel a 6-foot halfpipe in his backyard. His love for late-night ice cream, attention to detail and ability to grill salmon were unmatched.

We are all lucky to have received his love and will honor his legacy by following the Golden Rule and doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. Michael’s family and friends would like to thank the anonymous bone marrow donor who selflessly gave him the best chance to fight against his MDS.

A celebration of his life will be held at Shell Island Resort (2700 N. Lumina Avenue, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480) on Monday, April 8th, service begins at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider registering to be a bone marrow donor (more information here https://bethematch.org/) or donating to Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity at https://www.capefearhabitat.org/donatenow/ or Kids Making It at https://www.kidsmakingit.org/donate.

Services provided by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC 27605.