Tony Zitzelberger was born Nov. 18, 1935, at home in Schley County, Wis., and passed away April 24, 2017, in Lewiston.
He began school in a one-room schoolhouse in Wisconsin before his family moved to Colby, Kan., Shoupe, Idaho, and finally Lewiston, where he went to St. Stanislaus and Lewiston High School. After his junior year, he attended Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon.
Following that, he joined the U.S. Army, where he found and married his first wife, Inge. Their daughter, Diana Lee, was born in Germany, and soon after Tony brought his family back to Lewiston, where his son, Ronald Allen, was born. Tony and Inge divorced in the late 1970s.
Tony met and married Bonnie Nutt. Tony and Bonnie spent weekends and spare time mining, hunting for rocks around the Pacific Northwest or fishing for steelhead. Turning his hobby into his vocation, Tony and Bonnie opened the Ringing Hammer Rock, Gem and Jewelry Store, and Tony soon retired from the mill and was able to spend more time in the store.
Tony was preceded in death by his daughter, Diana; brothers Norbert and an infant brother; father Fred; mother Hazel; wife Bonnie; granddaughter Brandee; brother-in-law Bill Wilkerson; and a sister-in-law, Hazel Zitzelberger.
He is survived by his son, Ronald Zitzelberger and wife Kathy of Spokane Valley; sister Celeste Wilkerson of Lewiston; brothers Joe Zitzelberger of The Dalles, Ore., and Larry Zitzelberger and his wife, Donna of Sixes, Ore.; stepdaughters Gail Jessett and her husband, Marty, of Spokane, and Roberta Nutt of Sandpoint, Idaho; stepson Dean Nutt and his wife, Shawna of Winchester; and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at All Saints Catholic Church, 3330 14th St., Lewiston, with a reception following at the church.
Service Information
- Date & Time
- Saturday, September 30, 10:30 AM
- Location
-
All Saints Catholic Church
3330 14th Street
Lewiston, ID 83501
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