Myrtle L. Zietlow

Passed away Sunday morning, August 20, 2018 at the Rose Arbor Hospice Residence. Myrtle was raised in Woodstock, Illinois by William and Mary Thomas during the hard times of the Great Depression. She often reminisced about those frequent times that her mother took in "cousins" (family or not) who were down on their luck and needed a place to stay for a while. The Thomas's had a substantial vegetable garden; the fresh produce would be spread to neighbors, almost giving it away but charging just a little so the recipients did not feel that they were getting charity.

Myrtle earned one of two county-wide scholarships to the University of Illinois, where she studied mathematics - unusual at the time for female students. Due to the War, her studies were compressed to 3 years, although she still earned honors upon graduation, an early indication of the high regard she held for education. After Illinois, Myrtle joined Pratt and Whitney, manufacturers of airplane engines vital for the US war effort.

Myrtle met James Zietlow while working at Pure Oil Company in Illinois. After the couple was married on October 18, 1952, Myrtle encouraged Jim to finish his doctoral thesis, which he did in Physics from Illinois Institute of Technology. Myrtle and Jim moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico with their children, David and Susan in 1956, having their third child, Thomas, in Las Vegas. In 1965, the family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan and a professorship for Jim at Western Michigan University.

After the kids were old enough, Myrtle went back to college, earning a Masters Degree in Library Science at WMU. She was the bibliographer at Kalamazoo College for 16 years until her retirement in 1986. After their mutual retirement, Jim and Myrtle traveled to Europe several times, thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of the WMU music department and athletic teams, and, of course, read books. Continuing her high regard for education, Myrtle volunteered as a tutor and then as administrator for a local literacy group in Kalamazoo.

At her core, Myrtle was a generous person with her time, and possessed a great sense of humor, always willing to look and laugh at the foibles of life. After Jim died in 2006, Myrtle lived independently in the house they bought together in 1965, delighted in friends and family, and kept up with the world around her through her well-loved NPR.

Myrtle is survived by her sister Elsie, and her three children, David (Merrianne), Susan (Kenneth), and Thomas (Miriam), as well as numerous grandchildren (Thomas, Michael, Matthew, Bryce, Timothy, Joseph, Alyssa, Jason, Katherine, Alexander and Cassandra) and great-grandchildren. There will be no visitation. A private family graveside service will be held at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Friends are welcome at Myrtle's home on Carlyle, Saturday, September 1 at 1:00pm for a celebration of her life. To view Myrtle's personalized guestbook please visit www.langelands.com .