Zita Howell

Zita Howell (ne Werner) Blochingen, Baden-Wrttemberg, Germany, July 6, 1917Portland, OR, USA, Jan 31, 2017 Zita Augusta Howell was born in Blochingen, Baden-Wrttemberg, Germany, July 6, 1917. As a child, she and her family lived on her maternal grandmother\u0027s farm for a few years, a time she always spoke of with great fondness. They later made their home in Heidelberg. The eldest daughter of two, she was preceded in death by her mother, Johanna Werner (ne Kniesel), her father, Eugen Werner, her sister, Anna Werner, husband Ralph Waldo Emerson Howell, sisters-in-law Sylvia Legg and Burnis Hollis. Educated in the Gymnasium, an academically rigorous system of grammar and secondary schooling in which language training was a primary focus, she was proficient in three foreign languages, French, Latin, English. With an interest in business and mathematics, Zita was a business woman in her young adult years. She was the business manager of her extended family\u0027s Bahnhof hotel in Ulm where she also helped Jewish members of the staff find their way to safety. Surviving the 1944 Royal Air Force WWII bombing destruction of Ulm, in which 80% of the city was destroyed, the post traumatic shock that resulted deeply affected her throughout her life. Shortly after the end of the war, Zita met her future husband, Private First Class Ralph Waldo Emerson Howell. He was bivouacked with the US Army along the Neckar River in Heidelberg. One day while Zita\u0027s mom was doing errands, she came to a bridge across the Neckar. US Army escorts were required for Germans to cross it. Ralph escorted Mrs Werner across the bridge. She could not speak English, and he spoke almost no German. Yet, in that short walk, they established a plan to barter coffee for schnapps. She had schnapps as a \u0026quot;currency\u0026quot; because Mr Werner,her husband was a dentist, and when his wartime clients could not pay in cash, he accepted barters, such as schnapps, instead. So when Mrs Werner wanted coffee, she could offer something of interest to an American GI, schnapps! After meeting Ralph during the bridge escort, she agreed to return that night with her bilingual daughter Zita, in order to complete the transaction. Zita reluctantly came back with her mom that night, ready to make the trade. Ralph always said he was expecting a teenage girl to come back, not a beautiful adult woman. The rest of the story is history. They were engaged before he came home, but US Government regulations required Germans to wait a year following the war before traveling to the US. So Zita and Ralph waited, and after a year, she boarded a plane and headed to her fianc, a new homeland, new customs, new language, a new life. During that year, Ralph converted to Catholicism. Married on May 17, 1947, in St Stephen\u0027s parish in Portland, early in their marriage they worked at a variety of jobs, including picking hops in Yakima, WA. When Ralph finally got established in construction as a Local 29 Union Ironworker, she went to work as a housekeeper for some of the wealthier families in Portland. One family hoped to hire her as permanent \u0026quot;help\u0026quot;, offering to build a small cabin in the back of their property for Ralph and Zita. But they wanted a home of their own, especially after son Ralph Martin was born in 1949. Eventually they were able to save enough for a down payment, and had their family home built in Montavilla, in the foothills of Mt Tabor in the early 1950s. A point of pride for both Zita and Ralph was when he was accepted for a special US Government construction project in Greenland. By his taking this job, and her management of the pay he sent home, they were able to completely pay off their mortgage in four years. Daughter Marlene was born in 1956. Primarily a homemaker after the children were born, Zita never lost her zest for languages, economics and business. Though she did not own a business, she loved to play the stock market, and helped the family grow a nest egg through her careful research and investments. \u0026quot;Save before spending\u0026quot; was her motto. She never had a credit card, because credit spending was too expensive. She did work outside of the home in community education programs as a German teacher. She enjoyed working with people who had an interest in her native language and culture. \u0026quot;I\u0027m happily a US citizen, yes\u0026quot;, she\u0027d say, \u0026quot;and always German in my heart.\u0026quot; She also worked in school and commercial kitchens as a sous chef for about ten years. As they raised their family, Ralph and Zita emphasized education, discipline, tidiness, Catholic social justice teachings, hard work, honesty, and thriftiness. They were dedicated to political candidates whose platforms focused on working people. Her management skills kept the family afloat during lean times in the construction industry. They dearly loved their children and family life. They provided well for their children, and continued to do so for their three grandchildren. Polly, the mother of Zita\u0027s grandchildren, had a special place in her heart. Zita also cared for her husband during his decade-long struggle with Alzheimer\u0027s disease. This made it possible for him to stay at home, even when it meant sleepless nights, worry, and loss of energy for her. Zita\u0027s concern about issues of social justice was evident when she served on a county grand jury. She witnessed a wealthy person and a poor person charged with the same crime, and yet, the jury voted a \u0026quot;true\u0026quot; bill only for the poor person. She voiced her critique in asking fellow members of the jury, \u0026quot;how is this justice for all?\u0026quot; She went on to tell them that justice in the US seemed very connected to one\u0027s financial status. She also felt it was an injustice that her beloved Catholic church doesn\u0027t ordain women. She believed in voting, and chose candidates who had a focus on the working class. Family gatherings at holidays and birthdays always found a smile on her face, and often, German baked goods she had made from scratch. She loved getting out in nature at local parks and in the Columbia River Gorge. She felt compassion for stray animals. She reached out to neighbors in need. She enjoyed classical music, and occasionally attended concerts by local orchestras. Beethoven\u0027s Ninth Symphony, Dvorak\u0027s Symphony from the New World, and various German folk songs were among her favorites. The songs from the film \u0026quot;Sound of Music\u0026quot; resonated for her, as did the story itself. An avid news watcher, she would often respond to news of wars by asking, \u0026quot;can\u0027t we find other ways to settle our differences, even if we don\u0027t like each other, besides killing?\u0026quot; Cruise rides on the local sternwheelers were a special favorite. The family did this with her a few times a year. The boat rides were one place she really seemed to relax, smile, and let go of worry. Summertime meals in her backyard garden were also a source of joy. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren often had the same effect on her. Zita often talked about the risks she had taken in life, and how taking risks is the only way to know what we as humans are really capable of. She enjoyed learning, especially intellectual challenges. When asked a while back what advice she would give to young people just getting started in life, she said, \u0026quot;Get a good education. Be honest and hardworking. Have faith in God. Don\u0027t hurt others. Don\u0027t be selfish. Let your conscience be your guide.\u0026quot; She believed in the significance of free will, and especially in the power of prayer. Gracious and dignified to the end, Zita is survived by her children, Ralph Martin Howell and Marlene Howell; grandchildren Chelsea, Wendy, Jesse and their mother Polly; great-grandchildren Judah, Hannah, Reuben, their dad Daniel, nephew Brad C. Hollis, and her extended family of neighbors and friends including Jean McMahon who brought her weekly communion, long time neighbors Madge Sawyer and Cherie Elder, Pete Krsnak, and caregiver/friends Heidi Olson Jones, Liana Walters, Sally Eck, Chris Baker, Marilyn Lipko, Sue Bonaduce, and Tommy. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Rosehaven, 627 NW 18th Ave, Portland, OR 97209."",