Robert (Bob) George Zion

Robert George Zion died April 22, 2025, in Lexington, SC. Bob was born February 21, 1937, to John and Elizabeth Zion in New York City. Bob grew up an active member of the Methodist Church and spent summers assisting his father, a house painter. He was predeceased by his parents and older brother, John Zion.

Bob served in the US Navy on the aircraft carrier, Shangri-La, in the late 1950s. He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Computer Science at Polytechnical Institute of NY. His career was computer-oriented, and he was an early specialist in the technology of distance communication between machines. He assisted in the installation of computer technology in the original Epcot CommuniCore Pavilion which focused on educating the public about computers as well as housing the computer systems for Epcot.

In his late thirties, Bob met the love of his life, Rebekah Anderson Ellis, a Southerner by upbringing (Dillon, SC) and New Yorker by choice. They married in 1978 and lived on Staten Island for 40 years. Their last home was a four-story captain’s house near the Staten Island Ferry terminal.

Bob volunteered with the New York Police Department, and in the months following 911, he drove into Manhattan daily to serve as a police volunteer. He was an avid fisherman, and the couple nurtured many dogs and cats through the years. In 2017, Bob and Rebekah moved to South Carolina to be near relatives.

In addition to his wife Rebekah Ellis, Bob is survived by sister-in-law Anne (John) Black and nephew Jonathan Black of Lexington, SC; brother-in-law Tom (Winna) Ellis of Columbia, SC; nieces Krista (Jim) Bannister of Greenville, SC and Stephanie (Bates) Mattison of Atlanta, GA; plus four grand-nieces and one grand-nephew.

Bob’s two favorite words were “no” and “enh”.

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