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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Sally

Sally Zellem Profile Photo

Zellem

October 27, 1938 – February 29, 2012

Obituary

Sally Ann London Zellem, 73, a long-time resident of Indiana, PA and former executive director of the Indiana County Chapter of the American Red Cross, died Wednesday, February 29, 2012 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The daughter of Samuel and Grace London, she was born October 27, 1938 in DuBois, and was raised in Indiana. She was a 1956 graduate of Indiana High School and a 1959 graduate of the Indiana Hospital School of Nursing. She then worked at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, before returning to Indiana and working at Lee Hospital in Johnstown for 13 years. She served as President of the Indiana Junior Women's Civic Club in 1973, and President of Indiana's Interservice Club Council in 1974. Seeking changes in county government, she ran for Indiana County Commissioner in 1975 against Andrew Kuzneski. Although she did not prevail in the election, it drew the attention of the Indiana County Red Cross Chapter's executive board of directors. They recruited her two weeks after the election to replace retiring Red Cross director Margaret T. Serene. She then served the citizens of Indiana County in that position for 28 years until her retirement in 2004. During that period, her many contributions to Indiana County included several thousand Red Cross Bloodmobiles, disaster and fire relief, establishment of the IUP-Red Cross Aquatic School, emergency support to military families, aviation disaster relief, and a wide variety of Red Cross classes and fundraising events. Her crisis response skills were tested hundreds of times in her 28 years of service. Two years after her appointment as Red Cross Director, she became a central figure in relief efforts during the 1977 floods, the largest disaster in Indiana County history, where 561 people lost everything they owned and the towns of Huff and Robindale were completely washed away. In 1986, she pioneered a video training program on DUI prevention that received a National Red Cross award as one of the "Top Ten Innovative Ideas" nationwide. After she presented her program at the National Red Cross convention, it gained steam and was eventually adopted in 26 states and two foreign countries. The National Red Cross deployed her in 1993 to lead a major disaster relief center in Western Illinois during the Mississippi River floods, where she helped thousands of evacuees find shelter and disaster assistance. On Sept 11, 2001, she was hand-picked to help lead first responder Red Cross teams at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, PA. In addition to her national recognition, she received multiple local honors throughout her career from lndiana County firefighters, police, rescue workers, and other organizations for her service to the community. After relocating to Charlottesville, VA in 2005 she was active in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Republican Women's League, and was named Albemarle County's "Volunteer of the Year" in 2007 by the Albemarle County Republican Committee in Virginia. She is survived by a son, Navy Captain Edward Zellem, of Tampa, FL; a daughter; Mildred Cathcart, of Charlottesville, VA, and seven grandchildren: Jack, Michael and Susannah Zellem of Tampa, FL; Sallie, Scott, and Ann Cathcart of Charlottesville, VA; and Tanner Zellem of Coronado, CA. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Donald London of Bayfield, CO, and her youngest son, Navy Lt. Cmdr Scott Zellem, who was killed in a plane crash while flying from an aircraft carrier near Japan in 2004. Cremation will take place at Teague Funeral Home in Charlottesville, VA. Bowser-Minich Funeral Home in Indiana will handle local arrangements. A memorial mass will be celebrated at her former parish, St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Indiana, on May 19, Armed Forces Day. Burial will follow at Morningside Cemetery in DuBois. In lieu of flowers, the family requests considering donations to the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

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