Rita A. Zamzow

PRINCETON / TOWNSHIP OF CALEDONIA – Rita A. Zamzow, age 73, of Princeton, passed away peacefully at home in Princeton on Friday, April 18, 2014, surrounded by family. 

Rita was born on July 5, 1940 the daughter of Albert and Lila (Biech) Rietmann. She married William Zamzow on April 20, 1957.  Through her life, Rita enjoyed finding treasures at auctions which she used to make her house a home.  Rita also enjoyed writing short stories, and was very good at it. She researched and recorded the history of Caledonia, doing many personal interviews for the bicentennial, which she generously shared with others over the years and provided the basis for several published works. Rita was a member of the Caledonia Neighborhood Club, Homemakers Clubs of Columbia and Green Lake Counties and Historical Societies of Columbia County and Princeton. Rita was also a long time member of the Caledonia Presbyterian Church, where she taught Sunday school and was a Bible school teacher. She also loved to share her love of reading and writing as a Bookworms Reader to young children in Green Lake County.            

She is survived by her husband, William; her mother, Lila Rietmann; children, James (Debbie) Zamzow, Merrimac, Peter Zamzow, Cambria, Penny (John) Whyte, Portage, Jeanne Zamzow ( Alexis), Wautoma, and Joel Zamzow, Hudson; grandchildren, Ben Whyte, Joshua Zamzow, Derrick Zamzow, Rebecca Whyte, Jason Zamzow, Kendra Whyte, Ellie Zamzow and Maddie Zamzow; siblings, Kay (Leon) Maass, JoAnn (John) McLean, Judy (Ed) Nichols, Tom Rietmann, Randy (Jane) Rietmann, Robert (Andrea) Rietmann, Larry (Shelly) Rietmann, Rick (April) Rietmann and Jill (Phil) Koch; other close relatives and many friends.  She was preceded in death by her father.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at the Caledonia Presbyterian Church with Rev. Paula Bremer officiating. Burial will follow in Shanks Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at the Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage and on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Green Lake County HCE for the Bookworm Program to provide books to young children or Agnesian Healthcare, Hospice Hope who brought peace to Rita at the end.