Gail K Zelley, 58 of Hunt Valley, Maryland, died peacefully after a 10-year battle with breast cancer on September 18, 2026.

Gail was born May 25, 1968, at the Army base in Landstuhl, Germany, to George E. Kolombatovich (dec) and Sally Jane Kolombatovich nee Nygren (dec). She grew up in many towns in Long Island eventually winding up in Manhattan living with her father and stepmother Henrietta Kolombatovich. She graduated from St. Jean Baptiste High School in 1986 and attended Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY, graduating with a BS in Communications in 1990. It was during her Junior Year that she found the love of her life, Ed.

Gail and Ed were married on August 18, 1990, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Metuchen, NJ. They headed off to Cambridge Massachusetts as she supported Ed while he attended Seminary. In 1993 they moved to the Haddonfield, NJ, area and began their family. They were blessed with their first child Michael George Zelley. In 1995 they moved to Wenonah, NJ, where their family grew by one with the birth of their second child, Peter Walton Zelley. They would spend the next 19 years raising their sons. During that time, she began to return to a teaching career as a substitute teacher in the Gateway Regional School District. Eventually becoming a Paraprofessional with Gloucester County Special School District. They then moved to Metuchen NJ in 2015. She started as Substitute teacher in the Metuchen School District, and within a year was hired as a full time paraprofessional and in 2021 she was named para of the year. She retired from teaching in 2023 to spend time with family and continue her battle with Cancer.

Gail was a truly wonderful woman. She loved to crochet, read books, go on cruises with her husband Ed, go to concerts, watch true crime shows, collect Christmas ornaments, and make her famous toffee. She would never turn down a hot chai or a rare steak (rare enough to hear the "Moo"). She was incredibly kind to everyone around her, always giving out hugs, forehead kisses, and trying to help wherever she could. She especially loved spending quality time with her family and being Grandma to her wizard, Owen a.k.a. "OZ". She was so loved and will be so dearly missed by everyone who had the gift of knowing her.

Gail is survived by her husband Ed; son Michael and his wife Asharra; son Peter and his wife Hannah; grandson Owen; her stepmom Henrietta Kolombatovich; brothers George Kolombatovich, Glenn Schroter and his wife Annette, Sister Erica Olinger and husband Jude; 7 nieces and nephews and countless friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Gail may be directed to: Breast Cancer Program at Johns Hopkins Medicine to support Patient Navigation and support groups, which were so important to Gail, or to Mount Saint Mary College, the place where she and Ed met. Links to both are listed below:

Johns Hopkins Medicine

https://secure.jhu.edu/form/Kimmel

(Include "IMO Gail Zelley" in the "other" drop down menu).

Please mail your gift with a memo line indicating that this gift is "In Memory of Gail Zelley" to:

Johns Hopkins Medicine Development Office:
750 East Pratt Street
Suite 1700
Baltimore, MD 21202

Mount Saint Mary College

The Sister Pat Sullivan Endowed Scholarship https://my.msmc.edu/secure/MSiteForms/Default.aspx?f=lovemsmc

A visitation and funeral service will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church (17 Oak Ave, Metuchen, NJ 08840). The visitation will be held on Friday, October 2nd, from 5:00-8:00 PM. The

funeral service will be held Saturday, October 3rd, at 3:00 PM. As it was always the case with Gail, all are welcome to attend.

Sing, sing a song

Sing out loud, sing out strong

Sing of good things, not bad

Sing of happy, not sad

Sing, sing a song

Make it simple to last your whole life long

Don't worry that it's not good enough

For anyone else to hear

Just sing, sing a song!

"Sing" by The Carpenters