Obituary- Dominick Edward Zanelli

Dominick Edward Zanelli
10/6/1943 ~ 7/15/2013
Dominick (“Eddie”) Zanelli was born October 6, 1943 to Dominic and Margaret (Montoya) Zanelli at the Gordon Coal Mine Camp, Walsenburg, Colorado. He was the youngest of eight children born into this family and is the third generation grandson of the Montoya Ranch pioneers. He lost his heroic battle with Aplastic Anemia on July 15, 2013 at 11:40 am, surrounded by his family, at the Palo Alto VA Hospital, Hospice Unit, Palo Alto, California.
After his mother’s passing in 1945, his father and sisters took on the challenge to raise Dominick to be the man he would become. He and his father moved to the San Francisco Bay area, California in the late 50s and he went on to graduate from Sunnyvale High School in 1962, after which time he joined the US Navy during the Viet Nam War era and served as a communication specialist on board a destroyer escort ship and was honorably discharged after 4 years of service.
Dominick had a wonderlust for life, moving and working as a contractor, carpenter, and handyman in many states, finally settling in Cottonwood, California as the caretaker for his sister Pearl’s ranch.
He was well liked and a true jokester, always the life of the party, dancing, singing, and ready to ‘pull someone’s leg’. As the saying goes “He is what he is “ and that’s the way he lived his life.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dominic and Margaret (Montoya) Zanelli; son, Brian Zanelli; sister, Zophie and brother-in-law, Ray O’hrel; brother-in-law, Al Martinez; nephew, George Galindo; brothers-in-law, Ed Atherton, Ray Wren, Jess Galindo, Chuck Ryder, and John Cruz and sister-in-law, Jolene Zanelli.
Surviving relatives include, granddaughter, Britney (Josh) Hoover; great-granddaughter, Kylee Hoover; sisters, Jean (Rose) Wren, Kathy (Lina) and (Bill) Zmeko, Pearl Martinez, Esther Atherton, Margaret Galindo, and brother, Joe (Roberta) Zanelli, and a host of nieces, nephews, grand/great nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Friday, July 19, 2013 in San Jose, California and interment was at the Northern California VA Cemetery, Igo, California, with full military honors.