Mary C. Zinion

Mary C. Zinion, 89 of Tavares died Sunday, August 4, 2019. Born in Buffalo, NY, Mary was adopted at two months by Nora Quackenbush and John Patrick Reddy. She graduated from Millard Fillmore School of Nursing and received her R.N. from N.Y State. She earned a certificate of Public Health at the University of Buffalo. After seventeen years with the Visiting Nurses Association, she moved to Deltona, Florida with her family. She was employed by the State of Florida in Volusia County as a staff and clinic nurse. The staff asked her to develop a procedure manual as their guide when she was away. This manual was shared throughout the state. Mary transferred to Lake County in 1975 where she served as Supervisor of Nurses until the Director of Nurses retired and she moved into that position. She retired from the Lake County Health Department in November 1998 and joined the staff of Lake-Sumter Hospice in 1999 where she was a staff nurse for ten years, retiring at age 71 and ending a 50-year career in nursing. She was named Nurse of the Year for Lake County and the State of Florida in 1988. She was presented a Leadership award for Outstanding Public Health Leadership April 1, 1987. She was a member of St. Mary of the Lakes Catholic Church, Eustis where she served as a Eucharist Minister and a Bereavement Minister. She was a member of the Florida Nurses Association, American Nurses Association and Retired Nurses Association. She was preceded in death by birth mother, Dorothy Stowell; parents John and Nora Reddy; husband of 55 years, Peter J. Zinion; 2 sons, Joseph and Francis; daughter, Pamela, 3 brothers, Norman, William; sister, Audrey. Mary is survived by son Peter J. Zinion, Bushnell, FL; granddaughter, Jennifer (Randy) Bolles; great-grandson, Alexander Runyan, both of Flagstaff, AZ; brothers: William Stowell (Yvonne) Mount Morris, NY, Robert Stowell, Clearwater, FL, Garry Jones The Villages, FL, Jerry Stowell, Stohrs, CT; Pat Reddy, Lewistown, NY and many cousins, nieces and nephews and longtime companion Emory Sova, Tavares, FL. A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary of the Lakes Catholic Church, Eustis on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at Deland Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at the Harden/Pauli Funeral Home, Eustis on Friday evening from 6:00 – 8:00 PM with a vigil service taking place at 7:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, Mary asked that memorial donations be made in her name to Cornerstone Hospice or to VITAS Hospice. Online Guestbook available at www.hardenpauli.com Arrangements by Harden/Pauli Funeral Home, Eustis.