Zelda (Jennie) Shutinsky

   Another name for Zelda was Jennie.

  General Notes:

Story of Jennie Willner:

She was born Zelda Shutinsky in Russia. In or around the year 1885….By the time she was fifteen years old, she and her family were kicked out of Russia…Because they were Jews.

The family went to England where Jennie worked in a "biscuit" factory. A story goes that she learned English in two weeks because everyone made fun of her.

It is also told that within a year she and Abe Shutinsky, her brother, went to America. She worked and established a home, married and had David…Her husband died of a cerebral hemorrhage a very short time after Dave was born. Her husband, Mr. Kromberg, was only 27 years old. She held down two jobs to keep her family together.

She worked for the Nabisco Biscuit Factory and sang on the Jewish Stage.. The story goes that she was very good but her brother Abe got wind of it, went to a show one evening and dragged her off stage. Hence, the end of her musical career. She continued to work very hard to help bring her whole family over from England.

Since money was tight, she neglected herself, and fed her son. She got down to a weight of around 80 lbs…She passed out at work…Everyone thought she had TB. Nabisco sent her to Denver, for treatment. It was the only TB hospital in the country at the time.. Dave moved into a home near her. Her family, now in this country thanks to her. stayed away. They lived and stayed in New York City.

At the TB hospital in Denver, it was discovered that she didn't have TB but was malnourished and exhausted…They got her healthy again and she resumed life with her son in Denver.

There she met Isaac David Willner, a recent widower with four almost adult step children and four children of his own. They married and had 2 more children, Gertie and Dorothy. Jennie and Isaac were married more than 50 years when Isaac died in 1965. Jennie died in Riverside, CA in 1970 or 71..She was 85 years old.

Story Isaac David Willner

This story is pieced together from different information given to Donna Jean.


Facts know brothers, Abraham, Jacob, and William Willner.. Isaac was born in or about 1881 in Vienna Austria.

Zelda married Isaac David Willner, son of Willner and Unknown. (Isaac David Willner was born on 8 Jul 1879 in Austria and died on 18 Dec 1965 in Denver, Denver County, Colorado.)

Zelda next married Burke.