Tanya Lynn O’Neal-Zella

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Tanya Lynn O’Neal-Zella, 46, of Gonzales, passed away Saturday, March 21, 2015.  Tanya was born Sept. 8, 1968 in San Antonio to Carlton O’Neal and Joy Anderson O’Neal. Tanya married Randy Alan Zella on Oct. 26, 2002 in Gruene. 

Tanya grew up a country girl. She loved horses, ranch work, rustic western furnishings, German shepherds and most notably, children. Tanya attended Southwest Texas State for four years while working in a lumber yard, a job she dearly loved. She had worked at Schmidt and Sons Inc., for nearly 18 years. She maintained a strong work ethic; she found harmony in tending to her flower beds and caring for her lawn. She loved keeping abreast of politics and never shied away from sharing her point of view. 

Early on Tanya and her best friend, Brenda Grantham, both single parents and seemingly joined at the hip, helped each other with the difficulties of raising children, working and trying to make ends meet. By the grace of God, Tanya met and married Randy Zella who lovingly took her and her son in as his own. 

Tanya lived by the words of 1 Corinthians 13:13, “. . . faith, hope and love abide and the greatest of these is love.” She was a loving, caring wife and a pleasure for Randy to be near. She always put the needs of her children and family before her own. Though money was hard to come by at times, Tanya always found a way to make her children’s wishes come true. 

She was forever mindful of what was best for her children. At times it was the wooden spoon, held in her hand with the look of mother’s gleam was all they needed, as Neil Young sang, “Comes a time, when you’re driftin’, comes a time when you settle down, whether that’s what he was singing about or not, the mere sight of “the wooden spoon” achieved the latter. 

Tanya lovingly supported her boys in all their endeavors and was so proud to see them triumphant. For her son Dillon it was champion bareback riding, state championships in team sports like football and baseball, graduating from St. Paul High School and attending college and choosing everyday to be a good man. For her young son Hunter she marveled at his intelligence, his natural talent in riding horses and competing in local playdays. She loved to watch him compete in soccer and play football with his older brother. Tanya was filled with wonderment of Hunter’s interest and ability to keep and quote statistics of professional ballplayers. 

Tanya was notoriously late for most everything— her iPad was always to blame— she took volumes of pictures with it, stayed in contact through social media with it and on top of current events.

Where others had grown accustomed to Tanya being tardy, Hunter, not accepting the norm, would raise his hands and say, “no more pictures mom,” “c’mon mom, put it down, let’s go.” Sheepishly Tanya listened. Hunter was her “cuddlebug” and she was his.   

Tanya was proud to have the rustic wishing well her father made, but there was never a need to toss a coin in the well for a wish to come true. Her faithful prayers for her children came to fruition through her faith, her hope, her love and the greatest of all was her love. Emily Dickinson wrote, “For love is immortality,” Tanya’s love will forever live on in the hearts of her family and as she finds peace in heaven, her love for them is greater still.    

Tanya loved family. She cherished their trips to Disneyland and Disney World. She treasured the smiles on her children’s lips, the sparkle in their eyes, the swell of frequent laughter and she marveled at how wonderful love strengthens the core of family.

To this loving family unit she is survived by her mother, Joy Anderson-Rodriguez of Georgetown; husband, Randy Alan Zella of Gonzales; adoring sons, Dillon Wade Zella and Hunter O’Neal Zella of Gonzales; brother, Danny Rodriguez of Austin; grandmother, Margaret “Mother Margaret” O’Neal of Lampasas; and an aunt and uncle, Jina and Don Kuker of Tow. She was preceded in death by her father and grandparents.

A memorial service will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, March 27 in Seydler-Hill Funeral Home with Fr. Kirby Hlavaty officiating. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in the funeral home. The family will hold interment services at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 28 in Oak Hill Cemetery in Lampasas. 

In lieu of usual remembrances, the family requests memorials to be made to Shiner Catholic Schools, P.O. Box 725, Shiner, Texas 77984. Services are under the care and direction of Seydler-Hill Funeral Home.                  

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