Vernon Wilson Zinn, 94, of Midlothian, VA, formerly of Parkersburg, WV, passed away on October 30, 2026 in Midlothian, Va.
Vernon was born in Oxford, WV to Enid Wilson and O. Earl Zinn on July 12th, 1932. He graduated from Doddridge County High School in 1951 and entered the army in February of 1953. He became a member of the 185th Signal and Battalion’s Repair and Maintenance Company and was honorably discharged in February 1955 as a Corporal. He married Mary A. Whitehair and they resided in Lubeck, WV for forty plus years.
He worked at Railway Express for a few weeks after getting out of the Service, filling in for regular employees. Then he delivered milk for less than a year before getting on at the DuPont Washington Works plant in April 1956. At DuPont he started on the production line then took training to become an electrician and retired at 52 on April 26, 1985.
He did wood working as a hobby and started making custom cabinets in his spare time, starting with his own. He built dozens of custom kitchens for family and clients who had seen his kitchens. He also made custom furniture including a walnut bedroom suite, children’s play tables, chairs and toyboxes for his grandchildren, tables, TV stands, end tables, and several pieces for Lubeck United Methodist Church which included a custom kitchen and a baptismal fount. Vernon was a volunteer for the Lubeck Volunteer Fire Department and answered the alarm at all hours for a number of years. He also participated and included the whole family as volunteers all their fund raising events.
Vernon worked with his wife Mary in her monogramming shop and designed and made a custom screw driver and clamp for her monogramming machine. The screwdriver had a sleeve that fit on the machine to hold the screw in place. The clamp held a mattress top in place so it could be monogrammed. He sold many of these to other monogrammers.
After his retirement from DuPont, he learned to drive a big rig as a life long dream. He drove across the country to learn and worked for two long haul companies before coming off the road and doing short hauls in Parkersburg.
Vernon and Mary moved to Midlothian, VA in 1988 where he continued making custom kitchen cabinets leaving his mark in the homes of many of their friends and neighbors.
After moving to Virginia, he joined and attended Mt Pisgah United Methodist Church in Midlothian until the last few years when his health made attendance difficult.
Vernon is preceded in death by two brothers and a sister and his parents, Earl and Enid Zinn, his wife, Mary and daughter, Susan Lynn Zinn (died at birth).
He is survived by his children: Marilyn Zinn Savage and Michael Vernon Zinn (wife Debbie); grandchildren: Jamie Savage (wife Dianne), Earl Savage (wife Melissa), Wanda Wright of South Carolina, Lucy Savage, David Zinn (wife Morgan), US Army Captain Jason Zinn (wife Carrie), and Emily Modlin (husband Dylan); great grandchildren: Justin Savage (wife Claudia), Ryan Savage (wife Jamison) , Brittany Smith-Hester Brysen Wright-Hester, Bailea Wright-Hester, Brandon Wright, Angel Savage, Dakota Savage, Edmund Zinn, Lucy Zinn, Wilson Zinn, Nicholas Zinn, Griffin Zinn, Piper Zinn, Shiloh Zinn, Carter Joy Zinn, Wesley Modlin; and great-great grandchildren: Benjamin Hester, Jasper Bingham, Charlotte Bingham, Everleigh Kohlman, Tucker Kohlman, Catalina Savage and Charlie, Josephine Savage, Elowyn Savage, and Eliza Savage.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 6 from 6-8pm and Funeral services will be held on Friday, November 6 at 1:00pm at Leavitt Funeral Home, Parkersburg.
Memorials may be given to Mt Pisgah United Methodist Church in Midlothian, VA or Lubeck United Methodist Church in Lubeck WV.
The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to his loving and supportive community at Chesterfield Heights Gracious Retirement Living and to Crater Community Hospice LLC for the excellent care provided to Vernon and the rest of the family during his illness.
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