Obituary: Darien Roosevelt Zalefsky 1949-2018

Darien Roosevelt Zalefsky

Darien Roosevelt Zalefsky

Darien Roosevelt Zalefsky died on Memorial Day, May 28, 2018. Darien was born in Rochester, New York on Oct. 1, 1949. He was the only child of Roosevelt and Capitola Zalefsky.

Darien came to Phoenix, Arizona, when he was 5 and attended Kenilworth Elementary School and West Phoenix High School. He also attended Pima Community College in Tucson.

In the late 1970’s he moved to the Verde Valley, where he spent the rest of his life. He lived in Jerome, Arizona, for 10 years and spent the duration of his life in Cottonwood, Arizona.

He also lived in Canada and California for brief periods of time in the 1960’s. Darien picked up his first guitar when he was 12, and music became his passion for the rest of his life. He was a talented musician who played not only the guitar, but also the bass guitar, banjo, harmonica and sang. He played in many local bands throughout his 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, and frequently was a solo act, as well.

Darien was a talented man, not only as an entertainer, but also with woodworking, cooking and fixing just about anything that was broken. He was intelligent, witty, funny, a liberal and a 2nd Amendment kind of guy, a very interesting dichotomy. He loved conversation and could debate, pontificate and party with the best of them.

Darien spent 34 years with his beloved wife, Lila Gayle Bellotte, who died in 2014. He is survived by his stepdaughter, Tricia King; his granddaughter, Sahara Sanne; and his stepson Rendar Talbot.

Darien will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Cremation was provided by Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services - Colonial. There will be no services per Darien’s wishes.

Information provided by survivors.


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