Marcella Zucchini

June 4th, 1925 was an auspicious day for the parents of Marcella Jean Savage, daughter of Daniel Boone and Meredith Savage in Springfield, MO. That very Thursday marked the birth of Marcella Jean and the beginning of a long legacy of social/civic engagement, motherhood, a generosity of spirit, and her deep devotion to her family and her God.
And in the late afternoon of September 16th, 2020, Marcella Jean Zucchini passed peacefully in her sleep surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and their families. She is survived by her husband of 74 years Robert, her 8 children (Marciann, Mariann, Georgina, Joe, Robbie, Teresa, Dan, and Christina). As well as her 23 grandchildren, and 21 great grandchildren.

Her commitment to leaving the world a better place and to be one of the “helpers” took shape early on as she became an RN following her graduation from Central High School and practiced for a time at St. John’s Hospital. And on November 11, 1946, she married Robert John Zucchini and shortly after that began her journey into motherhood. When asked how many children she wanted to have, both her and Robert replied “more”.

But motherhood alone didn’t satisfy her appetite for service. She was a stellar advocate for the Birthright organization which revealed her deep respect for the sanctity of life. For many years she volunteered for Meals on Wheels, was a regular “pink lady” at Mercy Villa supporting the needs of the elderly, gave her time to the Red Cross doing cholesterol screenings, served meals at the school lunch room, and recruited her own kids collecting donations for the March of Dimes.

But what sustained her throughout was her deep faith. Early on in her marriage she secretly began instructions and became a convert to Catholicism. She had such great love for the Church she was an almost daily late morning attendee at Mass. One of her favorite sayings was “This too shall pass” which gave her the trust and strength to navigate life’s lessons with a knowingness that all was in “His hands”.

If she had a legacy, it would surely be the kindness and character of her children that must have flowed silently from her own DNA to theirs. And a late sixties rock tune graced us with the
lyrics, “And when I die, they’ll be one sweet child in this world to carry on, to carry on”. In the case of “Momma Marci”, there are many.

Because of the current Covid-19 pandemic, funeral services will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, please mail donations to the following:
Fundraising Coordinator, Muscular Dystrophy Association, 204 Executive Court #208, Little Rock AR 72205. and/or
JDRF Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation! Regional one is 1850 Lee Rd Suite 132. Winter Park, Fl 32789.

Permanent online condolences, stories and photos may be shared at www.hhlohmeyer.com.