Karl A. Zeggert

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, February 26, 2021, at 11:00 a.m., at Maple Avenue United Methodist Church, 63 Maple Ave. Marietta, Ga 30064. At this time due to Covid protocols only family and very close friends will be able to attend the service in person. The service can be viewed via livestream at https://youtu.be/EbQQGrtZ5Gg. Please also see http://mapleavenueumc.org.

Karl was born on May 27th, 1941 in Binghamton, NY. It was there where he was lovingly adopted by his parents, Paul and Ann Zeggert.

Karl is preceded in death by his father, Paul, and mother, Ann; older twin brothers, Robert, at infancy, and Jack, a meager three years ago; as well as his younger sister, Sally, in 1997.

Karl is survived by his first wife, Carol, and their four children, Tim (Patti), David, Scott, and Jennifer. He is also survived by his current wife of forty-four years, Bonnie Carley Zeggert, and their two children, Heather Varsalona (Vinny) and Stefan “Buddy” Zeggert (Lexi). He was always proud to be a grandfather, or “Pa-Pa,” as his grandchildren called him, to a whopping ten grandkids: David, Tim, Amanda, Madison, Nick, Vincent, Stefan, Noah, Alex, and Callie.

Karl was always a servant-leader and a patriot at heart. From the time he was a young boy, he knew that he wanted to be a policeman. As a member of the Boy Scouts of America and the Civil Air Patrol, his propensity for service began at a very young age. Karl grew up in Binghamton, NY, and his first job was two miles from his house. Karl was the first-ever employee of Jones’ Humdinger Ice Cream Shop when it opened in 1957. While a young man, Karl served as a volunteer firefighter for the Hillcrest community as he made his way through school. Karl graduated from Chenango Valley High School in 1960 and then completed his Associate’ degree in criminal justice from Broome Technical College. Determined to join the police force, Karl spent time as a prison guard at Sing Sing State Prison before joining The New York State Troopers in 1967. If you have spent a moment of time with Karl, you know that he loved being a trooper. Everyone got their fair share of cop stories from him. However, some of the most notable being when he stood people in front of a judge in the judge’s own living room, or when his Sergeant got mad at him for not saluting the commanding officer. Karl instead saluted the governor, which prompted a letter of thanks and respect to Karl from the governor that was hand-delivered by the Sergeant who was angry in the first place.

When the Vietnam War rolled around, Karl was considered to be an essential servant to the United States, as he was already serving as a New York State Trooper. It was during this time that Karl worked as an undercover narcotics officer. He was always quick to tell people how he was an on-duty officer at Woodstock.

Along with the stories Karl told, he also had jokes. Karl was not a man of slapstick comedy; in fact, when first meeting the stern Karl, you might wonder if he had a sense of humor at all. Karl’s sense of humor was a dry, sarcastic wit that came in the form of perfectly timed zingers and one-liners. On occasion, he’d surprise those around him by removing his fake front tooth and flashing a smile.

Karl spent half of each year in Georgia and the other half in New York, but no matter where he was Karl was a man grounded in his faith. He was a member of the United Methodist Church, and his pattern of service flourished. While in Georgia, Karl was a member of the Walk to Emmaus community for over thirty years. In Emmaus, he helped others grow and walk in the way of the lord. It was only fitting that he’d become Lay Leader (the man in charge) and even be part of the team that brought the Walk to Emmaus overseas to Jamaica. While in New York, Karl spent two to three days each week working with CHOW, which was a local food pantry that worked in conjunction with the United Methodist Church.

Karl was dedicated to helping his community grow, but at the same time, he was dedicated to watching his vegetables grow. Karl had the greenest of thumbs and he spent the summers growing a garden with flowers and vegetables of every color of the rainbow. The average dinner plate in the Zeggert household would have something along the lines of purple carrots and yellow green beans. Karl would wake up in the morning, put on his sun shirt and straw hat, and tend to his garden with his hands upside down on his hips.

Karl was one of the most knowledgeable people when it came to sports. He played basketball in high school and always bragged about how he was the tallest on the team. He loved watching the Harlem Globetrotters and there was seldom a time when Karl was not wearing orange and blue in support of the Syracuse University basketball team. Karl often went to see the Binghamton Rumbleponies play and was even able to attend games when Tim Tebow was at the plate. Karl stayed loyal to his favorite teams like the New York Yankees and even the New York Giants through their 2017 3-13 season. It didn’t matter what the sport was, Karl was able to become a fan; everything from hockey to the annual monster truck exhibition with his grandsons. Karl especially loved NASCAR and his favorite racer was Geoff Bodine. Although Bodine was his favorite racer, Karl knew every driver, car, track, and high speed left turn in this country.

Karl had an overwhelming love for this family. He had a soft spot in his heart for his grandchildren who found their way into mischief and took them under his wing to head them in the right direction. With ten grandchildren he was constantly on the go. Karl attended countless concerts, art shows, and sporting events. He always made time for his grandchildren whether it was for a baseball game in the one hundred degree heat or driving four hours through the snow to visit with his grandson on a military base. His favorite thing in life was to see his family grow and succeed. Despite being grouchy at times Karl was driven to be helpful to his partner in life Bonnie.

Overall, Karl was a man of outstanding faith. He has held a deep passion for his country, gardening, and sports. Karl’s stories and dry wit warmed the hearts of all those around. He loved ice cream and spending time with his family. Karl was a man who shaped people around him to walk with God and formed them into who they are today just by being in his presence.

An additional service for Karl will be held on Saturday May 29, 2021 at Centary-Chenango United Methodist Church. 438 Chenango St. Binghamton, NY.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either the Maple Avenue UMC Mission Fund or Community Meal Fund at Centenary Chenango St UMC.