Vana Pearl Zahnd

Vana Pearl Zahnd, of Greenville, SC, passed away on March 6, 2019.  She was born in Sumrall, Mississippi, on April 4, 1934, daughter of E.J. Speights and Ella Mae Speights.

Vana graduated from Bassfield High School in Bassfield, Mississippi, in 1951, where she played basketball with her sister, Betty. After graduation, she went to work for the telephone company in Hattiesburg, MS, then married and moved to Buffalo, New York, where she gave birth to three sons.  After relocating to Cleveland, Tennessee in 1967, Vana became a very involved member of Westwood Baptist Church.  She loved music and derived great joy from singing in the church choir.  For a short while, she worked in the church kindergarten and as a church secretary.  Subsequently, she went to work as a secretary for the Bradley County School System until her retirement.

Vana enjoyed her retirement years by traveling with friends to many stimulating locations. Her favorite trip was to the Holy Land, where she could see and touch the locations in a way that enriched her faith.  In 2012 she moved to Greenville, SC, to be closer to family.

She is survived by her sons, Mark Zahnd and wife Gail of Morehead City, NC, Ron Zahnd and wife Kim of Greer, SC, and Bruce Zahnd and wife Teresa of Landrum, SC; grandchildren, Blake Zahnd, Alyssa Sellers and husband Bryan, Riley Zahnd and Rhys Zahnd, and Taylor Zahnd; great-grandchildren, Lucy Sellers and Sawyer Sellers; sisters, Hilda Harrington and Betty Stewart; and her brother Jerry Speights and wife Joann, all of Hattiesburg, MS. 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister Edith Russell.

Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 16, 2019 at Sunset Memorial Gardens, 7180 Lee Highway, Cleveland, TN 37312.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Westwood Baptist Church, 4001 Georgetown Rd., Cleveland, TN 37312.

We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Zahnd family guestbook at www.ralphbuckner.com.

Ralph Buckner Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.