Obituary of Kalman Zeppelin

My love of almost 22 years passed away on Saturday. Although he was suffering with cancer, heart failure happened unexpectedly. Today is his 88th birthday, instead of celebrating I am grieving. I did a eulogy at the funeral that I would like to share. If you are so lucky to have a person in your life like I had, love them with all your being. Life is a quick ride, and we never know when it will be over. This is the eulogy I wrote for him and read at the funeral. 

On Saturday January 11 at 11:11 PM, I lost the love of my life. It was sudden, it was devastating, and my heart will never recover. Some people believe that 11:11 has a spiritual meaning. I’ve never knew or really thought about this but when I asked my daughter Jennie if it was significant, she said, “yes mom, it’s very meaningful” and sent me the following. “ in spiritual belief, seeing the number 11:11 when a loved one has passed away is often interpreted as a sign that they are near, at peace and sending you a message of support or reassurance, signifying their spirit is watching over you and guiding you through your grief: it can be seen as a way your guardian angels are communicating with you, offering comfort and letting you know you’re not alone” Do I believe this? Well, maybe. There have been times in my life that strange things have happened that were just unexplainable, like a fireplace starting by itself in the middle of the night after my father passed away, or finding dry kibble dog food in the middle of my living room floor after my dog Sergio passed, or being enveloped in a sweet pungent scent that rapidly came and just as rapidly disappeared after my mother passed away. None of this is explainable but the question is, why do we have to explain it? Kal and I were together almost 22 years. We spent the good part of everyday together. We could finish each other’s sentences. We often thought of the same thing at the same time. When we went somewhere separately, we couldn’t wait to get back home to see each other. We were and still are connected in a very special way. When he found out he was sick with cancer, he said to me” it’s not me I worry about, it’s you. I don’t ever want to leave you”. And I said, “don’t worry, you never will” Do I feel that he is here watching over me? Yes, I do. Do I feel he will guide me and comfort me as I complete this journey that should have been ours to complete together? Yes, I do. He will always be with me, in my heart and in my mind. I hear his voice, I smell his scent, I see his eyes and I feel his presence. And nothing will ever or can ever take that away. We loved each other’s sense of humor. He loved my cooking, and I loved cooking for him. He loved my marble cake, and I loved baking it for him. He loved Mexico and the beach, and I loved being there with him. He loved summers and going to the pool and I loved going too. I loved everything he loved but most of all I loved him. Every night after dinner I’d say” want anything else” and he would say “just you”. Just you. Two words that would light up my heart. And as I write this with tears in my eyes and a broken heart, I ask, “why you”? Every night we would kiss goodnight. And he would say, “good night darlin, sleep well”. I could not wait to get up the next morning, get our coffee and bagel, welcome the day when we would ask each other, “did you sleep well”? Sometimes the answer was yes, I had a good night, other times not so great , and lately, especially for him, it was not so good. Life presents us with events that we sometimes have no idea how we will handle. This is one of them. But there is one thing that I do know for sure. You were everything to me. You were the one that took me my whole life to find. So now it’s my turn, my love, it’s my turn to say to you, “goodnight darlin, sleep well”. Be at peace. And don’t worry. I am right here with you. And always will be.

Kalman “Kal” Zeppelin; Husband of Liz Marin Zeppelin; Father of Wendy (Michael Silverman) Berger, Jodi (Bryan Soderholm) Zeppelin and Stephan Zeppelin; Stepfather to Jennifer Michelle Murphy (Brian VanBuren); Grandfather of Jason Berger, Max (Torie) Berger, Estella, Hunter and Boden Zeppelin, Gabi Elizabeth Murphy, Sophia Ann Murphy, and Zach Edward Murphy; Great-grandfather of Miles Denver Berger and Levi Daniel Murphy; Brother of Howard (Sherrie) Zeppelin.

Service, Tuesday, January 14^th, 12:30PM, Temple Emanuel; Livestream on the Feldman Mortuary YouTube channel; Interment, Emanuel Cemetery; Shiva with light refreshments to follow at Temple Emanuel.

Contributions to Jewish Family Service of Denver or Temple Emanuel Shwayder Camp or Charity of choice.