Neil A. Zittrauer

This past Saturday I was saddened to learn from cousin Dickie that Neil had passed away on Friday. Although Neil and I were 1st cousins were 9 years apart, I’ll always remember him as someone who laughed a lot and loved to kid around with all of us, especially with Aunt Rose she dearly loved him. To his wife Pat and children Michael, Glenn, Dayna, and Karl, please accept our deepest sympathies and we pray that God will provide you all with comfort and peace in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Bubba and Flora Carter

So, Who was Neil Alwyn Zittrauer
1. Glenn- First a few words about his Childhood.
• Dad was born on June 6, 1937, not quite 73 years ago.
• His parents were Inez Carter and Theodore Bodie Zittrauer.
• She was a nurse and he was a railroad engineer.
• He had two older sisters: Frances, who passed away from cancer
in the late 60’s, and he is survived by his elder sister Jacqueline.
• He was born in Oglethorpe Hospital in Savannah Georgia, and
grew up in Garden City Georgia.
• He was the only boy in the family and his mother’s favorite and
he knew it. He was spoiled rotten as a child. Whenever it was
mentioned he would just smile and remain silent on the subject.
• He was born at the end of the Great Depression and he
frequently remarked on how his parents had to scrape together
pennies to make a living. This likely led to the lifelong
“thriftiness” for which he was renowned. There are other words
for it, but we’ll stick with this one.
• He had a dog, Corporal, a mutt, when he was a kid, who used to
come meet him at the school bus. Back when dogs could
actually do that.
• His childhood friends were the Gaddy’s, whom we met as we
grew up: Larry, Jimmy, and Patty. I do remember him telling
me that Patty’s parents, Guy and Bea, insisted that he chaperone
her when she first dated her future husband Roy Redmond.
They always remained friends.
• When he was a kid, a neighbor boy got ringworm and had to
shave his head, and it grew back in curly. Our hair is straight,
straight, straight. Oh yeah, Dad had blonde hair as a child.
Anyway, Dad got mad that his friend’s hair was curly, and his
wasn’t, so he shaved his head. Grandma sent him out to the
farm until his hair grew back in.
• This started a pattern where he would spend every summer out
at the farm. There were some boys there his own age with
whom he could run around out in the woods. This is where he
developed his love of nature.
• He told me he used to get home from school and go out back
with his 22 to shoot squirrels.
• He graduated from Savannah High School in 1955.
2. Glenn- Dad was a lifelong Christian.
• Grandma was a Baptist and Grandpa was a Lutheran, and I
believe he attended both types of service.
• We were raised as Baptists in Greenforest Baptist Church.
• Later in life he changed to the Lutheran church, and he and
mom attended Zion Lutheran and now Nativity Lutheran
churches.
• Dad knew his bible and would frequently quote specific ones to
us when he had a lesson to impart.
• I have a specific memory of Dad inviting some Mormon boys in
to “discuss” the bible with them. They never came back.
3. Karl- Another important part of his life was his family.
• We are Salzburgers, descendants from immigrants who came to
this country in 1735. At least the name did. We are all mutts by
now. Dad always was proud of his heritage and he often
mentioned wanting to pass his name on.
• He met his wife, Patricia Alice Clapp, while he was as Georgia
Tech. They married shortly after his graduation in 1959. What
was that date? Oh yeah, today would have been their 51st
anniversary.
• She was the love of his life and I don’t believe there was one
moment when he did not think they would be together until this
day was upon us.
• One of the things I remember most about the two of them is
their kisses. Imitate smack, smack, smack like a chicken.
• He had four children, Dean, Glenn, Dayna, and Karl. Dean was
born in 1960, Glenn was born in 1961, Dayna was born in 1963,
and Karl was born in 1966. Although, I should also mention that
he and mom had a child named Mark Carver who they treated
like one of their own, even though he lived two doors up.
• We all got his math ability and his love of the outdoors. Dean
got his gardening bug, Karl is more of the builder and
craftsman, Dayna was his only daughter and was not treated the
same as his boys, Glenn got his defiance and stubbornness.
• One of the things he loved to do wheneve