Jeannette Zangerle, physical education teacher

Jeannette Rae (Rutan) Zangerle, 86, of Rehoboth Beach, beloved wife of Charles P. Zangerle, passed away peacefully at home in hospice care after a long (private) battle with cancer. 

She was a proud Penn State graduate (physical education with a health minor). After graduating, she returned to Newton, N.J., to follow in the footsteps of her mom, Marjorie Rutan, as a teacher, teaching girls physical education at Netcong High School before raising her own family, and then moving to Rehoboth Beach full time in 2009.

Jeannette was a longtime member of the Newton Board of Education. She was a dedicated mom who loved sports, especially PSU and anything her boys were participating in. Jeannette was a Sunday school teacher at Newton Methodist Church, active in Cape Henlopen and Lewes senior centers, and a lifetime alumna of PSU. She loved gardening, her church families, attending local concerts, and the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show in New Jersey.

Jeannette is survived by her husband of 55-plus years, Charles of Rehoboth Beach; sons, Brian of Hope, N.J., and Craig, his wife Monica, and their boys Luke and Derek of Fruit Cove, Fla.; twin sister, Joanne Pharaoh of Lewes; and Joanne’s three children, Mark Pharaoh, Susan Yanos and Karen Murphy, and their families.

There will be a funeral service at 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 20, at Newton United Methodist Church, followed by a graveside service at Tranquility Cemetery for family. A memorial service will be held at Groome Church in Lewes at a later date.

As an avid supporter of the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, the Jeannette Zangerle Memorial Trophy will be created and presented to the winner of her favorite class: The Battle of the Breeds.  

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jeannette’s name may be made to the American Cancer Society, or The Memorial Trophy Fund, c/o Jeannette Zangerle, to Brian Zangerle, P.O. Box 160, Hope, NJ 07844.