The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) mourns the passing of:
Charles Joseph Zeller III, DO (May 31, 1945 – September 12, 2026)
Dr. Zeller, age 81, of Springboro, OH, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2026, at Hospice of Butler Warren County. Born in Chicago, IL, on May 31, 1945, Dr. Zeller was the son of the late Charles Joseph Zeller II and Erma Josephine (Kile} Zeller.
Dr. Zeler lived a life defined by service to his country, his patients, his faith, and above all, his family. A proud graduate of Marquette University, Northern Illinois University, and the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University, he answered a higher calling when he joined the United States Air Force in 1974. During his distinguished service from 1974 to 1986, he served as a flight surgeon and ultimately as chief of hyperbaric medicine at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where his expertise, calm leadership, and compassion earned him deep respect among airmen and medical colleagues alike.
Following his military service, Dr. Zeller continued his lifelong commitment to healing. Over the next four decades, he cared for thousands of patients across the region through his work with Premier Health, Kettering Health, and Veterans Affairs. His patients knew him not only as a skilled physician, but as a man who listened, who remembered their stories, and who treated every person with dignity. Many considered him the finest doctor they ever had.
Read his full obituary online.
Please share condolences below and consider a donation to the OAFP Foundation in his memory.
If you know of the passing of a family physician or a supporter of family medicine, please email Emily Pavoni with a link to their obituary.