Judith A. Zirbel died January 24 at her home in Bowling Green, Ohio. She was 79 years old.
Judy was born October 22, 1942, in Sparta, Wisconsin. Her mother was Eunice (Mathison) Roble, and her father was Paul A. Roble. She grew up in Algoma, Wisconsin.
Judy joined the Algoma High School marching band before starting high school, playing cornet. She also played piano and the church organ at Tanum Forest Lutheran Church. She got a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics Education from Stout State University, Menonomie, Wisconsin in 1965. In the summers, she worked at resorts in Door County, Wisconsin. Judy was married to Orrin Zirbel on December 26, 1964, in Tanum Forest Lutheran Church, Claybanks, Wisconsin. They were married for 57 years. She and Orrin lived in Milwaukee after college graduation and moved to Wauwatosa in 1969. She was an original member of the staff of the John F Kennedy Day Care Center when it opened in Milwaukee in 1965. She also taught in the Milwaukee Public School system. She taught Home Economics at Wisconsin Lutheran High School from 1967 to 1969.
Sons Craig and Jeffrey were born in 1969 and 1971. She worked at Bluemound Nursery School in Brookfield, Wisconsin for a few years around 1977. She worked as a secretary at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa Wisconsin from 1983 to 1994. Judy served as treasurer of the Wisconsin chapter of Healing the Children, hosting a patient from South Korea in her home in 1987 and going on a medical mission to Nicaragua in 1994. She and Orrin hosted exchange students Dominik Schweizer from Switzerland in 1987-1988 and Peer Künstler from Germany in 1990-1991. In 1995, she and friends opened a Schlotzsky’s Deli in West Allis, Wisconsin and operated it for eight years. They added a second restaurant in Wauwatosa after a few years. In 2006, Judy and Orrin moved to Bowling Green, Ohio and joined St. Mark’s Lutheran Church where Judy was active in knitting, quilting, and food service ministries.
People remember Judy as selfless, cheerful, gentle, kind, thoughtful, generous, caring, considerate, musical, and funny. She put others first. If anyone said a phrase that reminded her of a song, she would start singing it. She loved gardening. She was a great cook, bringing together great meals with multiple dishes in a way that looked effortless.
Judy is survived by her husband Orrin Zirbel of Bowling Green, Ohio and her brother Dale A. Roble of Cedaredge, Colorado. Her sons and their families include Craig L Zirbel, Maria C (Schwendinger) Zirbel of Bowling Green and grandchildren Alex, Dominic, and Matthew Zirbel of San Francisco, California and Carissa Zirbel of Bowling Green, Ohio as well as son Jeffrey B Zirbel, Jennifer (Smith) Zirbel of Windsor, Connecticut and grandchildren Arianna, Ross, and Paul Zirbel all in Windsor, Connecticut.
The family expresses appreciation for the caregivers and nurses who assisted in her care over the last several years, and for the family and friends who were helpful in so many ways.
No in-person memorial event is planned, but friends are invited to express their thoughts and memories directly to family members.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Deck-Hanneman Funeral Home & Crematory 1460 W. Wooster Street, Bowling Green, Ohio www.hannemanfuneralhomes.com.
