Obituary of Edith A. Zack

December 29, 1925 – February 25, 2025

Edith A. Zack. Age 99 of Southgate.

Beloved wife of the late Leon. Loving mother of Peggy (Ed) Zdanowski, Ken (Nancy) Zack and the late Steve (the late Rita) Zack. Dearest grandmother of Kimberly (Dale) Roman, Shawn (Jennifer) Zack, Ryan (Vanessa) Zack, Bridget Brehmer, Elizabeth (Levy) Sundquist, the late Christopher and the late Michael. Great grandmother of Jacob, Lucas, Noah, Alex, Grace, Jack, Christopher, Connor, Kayleigh, Austin, Bella, Silas and Sawyer. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Family Tribute
Edith Zack was a strong woman with an indomitable spirit that shown through every aspect of her life.  She was born in 1925 in a small town of Oberaudorf, Germany.  Her parents were Augusta and Alois Fritz.  She had two brothers, Alois and Gunter. 
 
She enjoyed her school years, which focused on home economics classes.  She had an athletic side, she enjoyed swimming, biking, skiing, and mountain climbing.   Her future husband Leon was serving in Germany during World War 2.  He happened to be a friend of her brother Alois.  They married in 1950 and moved to Detroit, Michigan.   She then became a U.S. citizen.  We often said she was more Americanized than Leon.  She learned how to drive a car here, and she had three children: Peggy, Ken, and Steve.  She was a stay-at-home mom during our formative years.  Later she took a job in the Sears stockroom when the kids were older.  She was a very special mom, sometimes making three different breakfasts to satisfy all her children's needs.  She joined a German club comprised of about twenty German women meeting monthly for dinner and friendship,  many of those friendships lasted over sixty years.

She was an avid reader and loved to play her piano.  She loved to knit and crochet, making beautiful Afghans, scarves and mittens, many of which were donated to school children.   She was a wonderful friend, she always remembered your birthday with a card and a call, playing her birthday men.  We all came to expect that call.  She was an amazing cook serving American and German cuisine.  Her specialties were Schnitzel, dumplings, potato salad and lemon meringue pie.  She really enjoyed her coffee, cake, and cookies.  She loved to entertain and would host large dinner parties.  She enjoyed going to the symphony, plays, and occasional Red Wing game.  On her 94th birthday, her grandson Ryan procured a suite at the LCA to watch the wings, they treated her like royalty, and she had the best time of her life.
 
She was a devout Catholic teaching her kids strong Catholic values.  She made sure they attended Catholic school.   She said the rosary and chaplet daily and watched the Catholic television network. 
 
She had suffered some health scares, a shattered femur, covid, sepsis and congestive heart failure.  She survived these conditions and resumed her lifestyle with adjustments.  She expressed daily gratitude for being able to stay in her home with the help and support of her family until her death. 
 
She really enjoyed sitting on her back yard deck, it brought her many hours of joy.   She was a great mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.  She was very involved in their lives, attending many sporting events and school functions.  She was kept informed of what was going on in their lives and supported them.
 
She was adventurous and loved to travel.  She and her best friend Toni made the trip to Germany with five children under 5, taking the train to New York and from there sailed on a three-week voyage to Germany.  She went back to her homeland several times and was also able to visit Florida, Arizona, and Las Vegas,  and enjoyed several cruises. 
 
She lost her dear husband of 47 years in 1998, she continued to live independently until her death.  She was the eternal optimist, always positive.  Trusting completely in God’s care.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions are appreciated to the Arthritis Foundation or St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat Center.