Zella E Whitaker

Zella E Whitaker, beloved mother of Barbara Whitaker, died Sunday evening, January 14 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. She was born on March 30, 1923 just outside Somerset, KY. After recovering from TB as a young woman, Zella moved to Tucson with her husband Jessie in 1943. The Tucson desert was a stark contrast to the Bluegrass State, but Zella learned to love the beautiful mountains and the lush desert of the southwest. The most important part of her life was her family. She enjoyed taking care of them and their home. Zella overcame several serious illnesses in her life so a healthy diet, exercising and walking became an important part of her daily routine for many years and continued into her 80’s and early 90’s. Her neighbors were important to her, especially the Begley family, as she lived in the same neighborhood for 68 years. Zella studied to become a Cosmetologist in 1960 and developed lasting friendships with many of her clients and colleagues. Zella and her husband enjoyed traveling to many parts of the United States in their camper. She and her daughter also traveled later in life, including trips to Alaska and Hawaii. After her husband’s death in 1985, Northminster Presbyterian Church became her church home. Zella was a strong, beautiful, kind, hard-working and honest woman and she will be greatly missed. Zella was preceded in death by her husband Jessie Evan Whitaker and her son Jimmy, parents Tom and Ettie Price, brothers Howard, Lloyd, Earle, Jaroam, Virgil and sister Lora, all from KY. She is survived by her daughter Barbara, daughter in spirit Julie Sherrill, and best friend Jill Jones. She is also survived by nephews Jerry Whitaker (Indiana), Jay Price (California), Tom Stewart (Kentucky) and niece Darlene Gordon (Kentucky), as well as many great and great-great nieces and nephews. A private graveside service was held January 23, 2018 at Southlawn Cemetary. A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 3, at Northminster Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Alzheimer’s Research Association.