Amelia "Amy" Kidder

Our mother, Amelia " Amy" Kidder, passed away peacefully after over a decade-long battle with dementia on October 2, 2025. She passed away at Independence Village Memory Care Avon Lake, where she lived for over 4 years. Amy lived her whole life in northeast Ohio, growing up in Bay Village and Rocky River where her lifelong love of reading began. She married Karl Zuber shortly after high school and settled in Avon Lake where they raised their family. When her two children entered Junior High school, Amy decided to go back to college at LCCC pursuing a degree in the "new" field of Data Processing. While in college, she was hired as a co-op by Bendix Corporation. That collaboration began a 30 plus career, with Amy retiring as one of the rare women Directors. Amy managed many challenging projects, meeting and working with extremely talented people, many who she treated like family. Her expertise led to traveling for work in many places in the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe.
Amy married Jeff Kidder in April 1982 in a small but celebratory ceremony. She and Jeff worked together at Bendix where they met. With this union, she became a second Mom to Kelly and Kristy Kidder who were only 4 & 6 years old. Their home on Windbrook Court in Elyria, Ohio was the center of many family celebrations and holidays. Amy embraced the blending of families and loved hosting family gatherings.
Amy and her sister Norma, though 14 years apart, held a special bond. When their mother died unexpectedly, Amy was a young mother with two small children; Norma was there with love and support. Amy was extremely close with her nephews, Jack and Bob and her niece Betsy.
Any story of Amy Kidder would not be complete if it did not include her passion for world affairs, politics and cats! She voted for Barry Goldwater for her first presidential election. Nevertheless, by the time she retired, she was a volunteer for the local Democratic Party and a staunch feminist. Amy was a proud supporter of Planned Parenthood and followed the spirit of her mother who was a nurse for the Cleveland chapter. Lastly, we will admit that Mom never met a cat she didn't love, as evidenced by her feeding (and rescuing) many feral neighborhood cats over the years.
Amy is survived by her children, Lisa Zuber (John Gawlas), Karl aka KC Zuber, Kelly Kidder and Kristy Kidder; Grandchildren Karl Gawlas, Samantha Applegate and Luke Applegate. She also leaves behind nephews John Westaway (Robert Menifee) and Robert Westaway (Diane).
She was preceded in death by parents, Herbert and Marjorie Fleck, sister Norma Jean Westaway and niece Elizabeth aka Betsy Westaway.
All services will be held at the Busch Funeral Home,163 Avon-Belden Road, Avon Lake, Ohio 44012. Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 6, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm. The funeral service will be held on Friday, November 7, 2025, with visitation beginning at 10:30 a.m. concluding with the funeral service at 11:30 a.m.
In honor of the amazing caregivers that our mother had throughout this journey, the family will be collecting donations dedicated to the caring individuals who cared for Amy at Independence Village Avon Lake and Suncrest Hospice. You can donate using Venmo, @Lisa-Zuber-4 or mail to K.C Zuber, 216 Moore Rd Apt 3W, Avon Lake, OH 44012 www.buschcares.com 440-933-3202