Van Iden Zeiler, Jr., passed away May 12, 2015 at the age of 75. Mr. Zeiler had been a resident of Big Canoe, GA for the past 17 years and before that, he lived in Sandy Springs for more than 20 years. Mr. Zeiler grew up in Leesburg, VA and attended Saint James School in MD. He then attended Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia, graduating from the McIntire School of Commerce at UVA in 1962.
Mr. Zeiler married Rita Peters of Smith Center, KS in 1964. Mr. and Mrs. Zeiler moved to Sandy Springs in 1977. Mr. Zeiler had a long career in the insurance industry. He worked for Chubb & Son for many years before coming to Atlanta where he was vice-president at Duncan Peek/Sedgwick/Marsh & McLennan until he retired and moved to Big Canoe. While he lived in Atlanta, Mr. Zeiler was very involved in the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, serving as Scoutmaster, den leader and as a trainer of Girl Scout leaders. He also enjoyed playing bridge, gardening, camping, and reading.
Mr. Zeiler was very involved in the Big Canoe and Pickens County communities, participating in real estate development, including the development of Cove Lake and other properties. He volunteered with the Big Canoe Emergency Response Team and Big Canoe Animal Rescue. For several years he also assisted low- to moderate-income households with their tax preparation through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program. As a member of Leadership Big Canoe, Mr. Zeiler spearheaded an initiative to convert all of the addresses of residents within Big Canoe to numbers that could be recognized by the local 911 system. Mr. Zeiler enjoyed golfing, woodworking, spending time with his friends and sharing his love of the outdoors with his three granddaughters.
Mr. Zeiler is survived by his wife, Rita Peters Zeiler, his children Ashley Zeiler Hager (Philip) and Van Iden Zeiler, III (Victoria Stilwell) and his grandchildren Jaquelin Hager, Lucy Hager and Alexandra Zeiler. He is also survived by his brother Jay Dean Zeiler (Estelle) of Upperville, VA and sister Jeffrey Zeiler Dearing of New York City.
A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, May 19 at 4:00 pm at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Family, 100 Griffith Road, Jasper, GA 30143, reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Big Canoe Volunteer Fire Dept. or Good Samaritan Health and Wellness Center, Jasper, GA.
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