Dolly Joan Zerbe

Dolly Joan Zerbe peacefully went to see her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on August 19, 2023, at the Timbercrest Senior Living Community in North Manchester, IN. She was born June 18, 1930, as Delores Joan Keppel to Charles and Leona (Hall) Keppel in Indianapolis, IN. She was raised in Peru, IN by her grandparents, Dawson and Mima Hall, and it was then that Delores became Dolly Joan Hall. She graduated from Peru High School in 1948 and on August 8th of that year, she married her high school sweetheart, Ernest C. Zerbe at the First Christian Church in Peru.

After graduation Dolly worked as a secretary at Micro-Electronics in Peru where they made pocket radios and hearing aids. She stopped working outside the home to raise her young family on a farm in eastern Miami County. When the Maconaquah Middle School opened, she was one of seven cooks where she became the Head Baker and worked for seven years. She volunteered for several years as secretary of the Miami County Fair board and was also a 4-H Club leader in Butler Township where all her four children were involved. She was a committed mother who taught each of her children many valuable lessons of life service and loving others.

Dolly and Ernie were active members of the Loree Brethren Church where they raised their family. Dolly served in many capacities including a teacher, choir member, deaconess, “Signal Lights” leader, and “Sisterhood” patroness. She loved working with children and spent many summers helping serve on the Vacation Bible School staff. She was active in the Brethren Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) and served as their State President for eleven years. Both her and Ernie had a heart for missions and served on a mission trip to Jamaica with the Loree Brethren Church. After moving to North Manchester, she became a member of the North Manchester First Brethren Church. She was a member along with her husband, of the Gideon’s International where they served in many Bible distributing projects around the United States.

Dolly J. Zerbe was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Ernest C. Zerbe. She is survived by one son, Steve (Sherri) Zerbe of Bunker Hill, IN, and three daughters, Linda (Keith) Immel of North Manchester, IN, Sharon (Stephen) Thorn of Dayton, TN, and Coleen (Randy) Mangham of North Manchester. She has been blessed with eleven grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren.

You can greet the family during the viewing at Flowers-Leedy Funeral Home on Wednesday, Aug. 23rd from 4:00 to 7:00pm. You can also greet the family on Thursday, Aug. 24th from 9:00 to 10:30am at Loree Brethren Church. The Memorial Celebration of Dolly’s life will begin at 10:30am at the church with the interment immediately following at Rankin Cemetery. Memorials can be made to The Gideon’s International. 

Arrangements have been entrusted to Flowers-Leedy Funeral Home. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook at www.FlowersLeedyAllen.com.

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