A memorial service will from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday (March 8) at the Gathering Place at Evergreen Assisted Living Center at Greencroft. Refreshments will follow at the Thelma Schrock Homestead on the Greencroft campus.

Mr. Zinn was born Feb. 18, 1927, in Elkhart to Ralph and Myrtle (Hager) Zinn, former proprietors of Zinn's Orchard, Bristol. He married Frances C. Parks on Sept. 13, 1947, in Goshen.

She survives along with three daughters, Kathleen A. "Kate" Madsen and Deborah J. Zinn, both of Elkhart, and Kaileen R. "Kay" (Russ) Almond of Westminister, Colo.; one son, William E. "Bill" (Joan) Zinn Jr. of Centennial, Colo.; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Alice (Ralph) Hemund of Glenwood, Ark., and Judy (Herbert) Minnich of Goshen; and one brother, Carl (Ruby) Zinn of Amity, Ark.

Mr. Zinn was a 1945 graduate of Bristol High School and attended Bristol United Methodist Church. Mr. Zinn and his wife were co-founders of Flair Interiors of Goshen. He then moved to Missouri and served as deputy sergeant for the Washington County Sheriff's Department in Potosi, Mo. He retired in 1992.

Mr. Zinn had a sign-carving business in Potosi. An accomplished woodworker and carpenter, he built his own homes in Bristol; White Pigeon, Mich.; and Potosi. He worked in Indiana and California in the RV industry.

In his later years, he enjoyed working on his computer and was known for making greeting cards for his friends at Evergreen Assisted Living Center at Greencroft. He made latch-hook rugs and was never seen without his dog and constant companion, "Babe."

Mr. Zinn was a U.S. Navy veteran and served on the transport ship USS Admiral H. Rodman from 1945 to 1946, as seaman first class, patrolling the Far East and the Pacific.

Memorials may be given to Greencroft, The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care of South Bend or the American Lung Association.

Visit www.billingsfuneralhome.com to send online condolences.