Richard M. Zitzmann

Zitzmann, Richard M. '43 of Tustin, CA. died Saturday Nov. 17 2012 at the age of 90. Richard was born April 28, 1922 in Chicago, Ill. He attended North Park Academy in Chicago, and spent many afternoons with his grandfather watching the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He graduated from Beloit with a degree in Political Science. Richard served in the US Navy as a Lieutenant JG.. on the USS Knox in the South Pacific 1943-1946. June 23, 1945, he married Sarah Smith '46. They had four children. He began his career as a Marine Insurance Underwriter in Chicago after WWII. The Marine Insurance business allowed for many professional moves including, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, back to Los Angeles and the last stop in San Francisco. He became Pacific Region Underwriting Director, Marine Office of America Corporation. Richard and Sally enjoyed traveling throughout the US, Europe, Hawaii, and the Panama Canal. Richard gave the gift of traveling and exploring new places to his children and grand children, who have fond memories of traveling and camping throughout the US. He will be remembered by his family and friends as an avid story-teller and conversationalist. With each move Richard invested himself in the Episcopal Church, as well, as Vestryman, Warden, and Lay Reader. Richard and Sally retired in Yosemite Lakes Park, an hour south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, where Richard was an active member in the American Legion, and SIRS. In March, 2012, they moved to Tustin, California, residing near Tustin Field II, the former WWII Marine Corps Air Station. In his final days Richard enjoyed seeing the "Tustin Hangers," which house blimps today. He also enjoyed taking short day trips in and around Los Angeles and Orange Counties, to places he had been as a child and an adult. Richard is survived by Sally, his wife of sixty-seven years, four children of retirement age, seven grandchildren and fourteen great grand children who reside in Arkansas, Southern California, Catalina Island, Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina and Germany. A Memorial Service will be held December 28, 2012, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Tustin, C. Richard will be interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, California.