Dorothy Helen Zila

September 28, 1937 - April 22, 2022

Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, Dorothy Helen Zila, 84, of Pensacola, Florida, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 28, 1937, and met her Heavenly Father face to face on Friday, April 22, 2022. What a sweet reunion she must have had meeting her Savior and those loved ones who have passed on before! Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents, Herbert Jack and Helen Vance, and leaves behind many who loved her including Daniel Zila, her loving husband of 64 years, brother Jack Vance (Joan) of Rock Hill, South Carolina, sons Dwayne (Christine) of Plainfield, Illinois, and Doug (Karen) of Pensacola, 4 grandchildren: Phillip, Darren, Kimberly, and Kathleen and numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces. Dorothy grew up in Chicago and graduated from Thomas Kelly High School. She and Dan grew up together in the same neighborhood. They married on July 4, 1957. Later, they moved to Allegan, Michigan, where she helped as a teacher’s aide at Pine Trails Elementary School. This is where she met Gloria Shine (a Christian) who was instrumental in guiding Dorothy to her Lord. She and her husband Dan loved people and enjoyed greeting members and guests at Campus Church with a warm hug and a friendly smile. She took joy in encouraging anxious parents who were leaving their son or daughter at college. Her sacrificial love and joy made many feel loved and at home in a new place. Dorothy took her grandmother duties with pride with no task being too minimal. She was an avid baker, a skilled cook, and made some of the best desserts—all of which she shared with the people she loved. Her love for family and friends was seen in her genuine care and attention to the small things. She knew how to have fun, but also how to encourage when things got difficult. Although we are sad she is no longer with us, it is truly thrilling to imagine her reunion in heaven. Perhaps the Lord called her home to warmly and lovingly greet those souls entering the gates of heaven. What a perfect fit for such a dear wife, mother, grandmother, and friend of so many people! She is loved so dearly and will truly be missed. We yearn for the reunion in heaven with Dorothy and our Savior! A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 10:00 AM, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South. Doctor Jeff Redlin and Josh Burdick will be officiating. Faith Chapel Funeral Home South, 100 Beverly Parkway, Pensacola, is entrusted with arrangements.