Dortha P Zellers

Dortha P. Bridge Zellers was born January 16, 1921 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of Jesse Randolph and Betty Theodora Bridge. Dortha was raised and attended school in the Scraping Ridge area and later completed her education in Cleveland. In 1938, at the age of seventeen, Dortha was married to Clifford Hocker in Cleveland, Oklahoma. The couple made their home in Cleveland residing at an apartment at the Merchantís Hotel. The couple later moved to Roswell New Mexico, where their first daughter, Donna was born. Later through a transfer with the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company, they relocated to Louisville, Kentucky where their second daughter, Judith was born. Following a divorce from Mr. Hocker, one day while riding the ferry boat crossing the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky and New Albany, Indiana, Dortha met Melvin Zeller. In 1946, the couple was married and moved to Lebanon, Pennsylvania. While residing in Lebanon, Dortha was employed as a seamstress for the Weiss Shirt Factory. They resided there for nearly forty-five years until their retirement when they moved south to Bushnell, Florida. Mr. Zeller preceded her in death on October 23, 1998. For the next few years, Dortha worked at a cafÈ in a flea market in Bushnell where she loved to visit with the customers and was known by many people in the area. In 2008, Dortha and her daughter, Judith moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma to establish their home. She was considered the Matriarch of the annual family reunions often providing stories of the family to pass on to the younger generations. She was an excellent seamstress providing suits and dresses for her daughter, Judith who worked in the banking business and nursing clothing for her daughter, Donna who was a registered nurse. He also enjoy baking but her favorite pastime was telling history and stories of her family in the early days. Dortha was described by her family as a loving, caring and sympathetic woman who was in her later years a tab bit head strong and independent. Dortha passed away on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at the Cleveland Area Hospital at the age of ninety-two. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, a daughter, Donna Gayle Hocker; brothers, Clarence, Tommie, Bart, Noble and Fred Bridge; and sisters, Mary, Clara, and Nina. She is survived by her daughter, Judith A. Hocker of Cleveland, Oklahoma; two cats, Amber and Agnes; an adopted dog, Minmin; and numerous other family members and friends. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at the Church of the Nazarene with Pastor Steve Brown officiating. Friends may share a memory with the family at the funeral home or online at www.chapman-black.com.