Jeffrey M. Zerbato of Glenwood Springs died Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2003, in an accidental drowning at Sweitzer Lake near Delta. He was 39.

He was born May 11, 1963, in Pittsfield, Mass., to Michael and Carleen Salinetti Zerbato. He was a 1981 graduate of Lee High School.

Mr. Zerbato earned a degree in plumbing and heating from the University of New York at Delhi in 1984, and earned a masters in plumbing in 2001.

He married Frances Griffith on June 11, 1988.

He worked in Lee, Mass., from 1986 to 1999, operating his own plumbing and heating business for three years. He moved to Colorado in 1999 and worked for Precision Mechanical of Aspen.

Mr. Zerbato loved hunting, fishing and athletic sports, and was a past president of the Lee Sportsman’s Club.

He served as a Little League coach and was also a taxidermist.

Mr. Zerbato is survived by his parents, Michael and Carleen Zerbato of Lee, Mass.; by his wife, Frances Zerbato of Glenwood Springs; by a son, Zachary M. Zerbato, and a daughter, Jessica L. Zerbato, both of Glenwood Springs; by a brother, David L. Zerbato of Lee; by a sister, Jennifer M. Dadak of Pittsfield, Mass.; and by several nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, at Kelly Funeral Home in Lee, Mass., followed by a liturgy of Christian burial at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church. Cremation will follow.

Kelly Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Memorial donations may be made to the Zerbato Children Educational Fund at any WestStar Bank.