Virgil P. Zahller, 84, of Bellefontaine, died at 8:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, 2006, at the Green Hills Retirement Community, West Liberty.
He was born in Logan County on Jan. 9, 1922, a son of the late Everett and Mary Zahller. In 1951, he married Margaret Miller in West Liberty, and she preceded him in death in 1980. In 1986, he married Ruth Rowley of Los Alamos, N.M., and she survives.
Also surviving are three daughters, Glenda Zahller of Bellefontaine, Karen Zahller of Pacific Palisades, Calif., and Elaine Verdill of Lafayette, Colo.; one son, Carl (Vicki) Zahller of West Liberty; two grandsons, Caleb and Joshua Zahller, both of West Liberty; one stepson, Charles Andrews of Olathe, Kan.; one stepdaughter, Charlene Andrews of Albuquerque, N.M.; and two sisters, Ruth (Minor) Harrod of Cherokee Village, Ark., and Jean Allen of Avon Lake.
While attending a one-room school house near Belle Center, he was nicknamed "Tractor Boy" because of his habit to stand up in class to look out the window whenever a tractor went by on the road. He was a farmer throughout his life, except when he served in the United States Army during World War II as a sergeant on special assignment at the 8th Army headquarters. He was among the first troops to march through Hiroshima after the atomic bomb. During the occupation of Japan, he both befriended the victims of Japanese war crimes and saved lives of Japanese citizens.
The Rev. Ronald Irick conducts the funeral at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Rexer-Riggin-Madden Funeral Home, DeGraff, where visitation is one hour prior to the service. Burial is in the Fairview Cemetery, Belle Center.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Coral Ridge Ministries.
