Joe Zeleny was an orthopedic surgeon who practiced in the St. Cloud area for many years. He was co-founder of St. Cloud Orthopedics and served as Chief of Staff at St. Cloud Hospital. Joe and his wife, Teresa, raised six children who all settled in Minnesota and who provided them with ten grandchildren. Daughter Mary said, “I was blessed with the kind of parents you read about in storybooks.”
The Zelenys were generous people and their charitable giving was important. Teresa died in 2002 followed by Joe in May 2008. A significant gift at his death established the Joseph and Teresa Zeleny Fund. It is an endowed fund that provides annual support for nine different organizations whose missions were valued by Joe and Teresa, including the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation and the Willmar Area Community Foundation.
Their values in life are implicit in the list—the church, education and medicine—and all but one of the recipients are local organizations. The Zelenys’ legacy is deep and broad and the Joseph and Teresa Zeleny Fund will complement much that they did while living.