Emilie Elizabeth Zulauf's Obituary
Emilie (Lee) Elizabeth Zulauf
Lee Zulauf, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma, WA on December 11, 2009 from head injuries suffered in a fall at home earlier in the week.
She was born on August 19, 1929 in Portland, OR as the only child of Alfred D. and Alice G. Bishop. Shortly after her birth the family moved to Falls Church, Virginia where they lived until 1939 when they moved to Bremerton, WA. At Bremerton High School Lee was an honors student, played in the orchestra and in her senior year she represented Bremerton as a Princess in the Wenatchee Apple Blossom Festival. She played the violin in the Bremerton Symphony, and was very active in the Girls Service Organization, Girl Scouts and St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
After graduation she attended Whitman College from 1947 to 1949 where she studied liberal arts and continued as a violinist. In 1949 she transferred to then Pacific Lutheran College to complete elementary education course work. At PLC she was a member of the Choir of the West, the orchestra, Curtain Call Club and the Tassels honors society. During summer school on July 1, 1950 she went out on her first date with Dwight Zulauf, a PLC Instructor in Economics and Business. In just three months they were engaged, and they were married in Bremerton at St. Paul's on December 16, 1950.
Lee graduated in May of 1951 and began teaching at Kapowsin Grade School in September. She resigned in 1953 when she and Dwight were expecting their first child, Kathy. In 1956 their first son, David, was born in Minneapolis where Dwight was an instructor and Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota. They returned to PLC in the Fall of 1959 and moved into the house that still serves as home base for their family. John, their third child, was born in the spring of 1960.
In the years that followed, her involvement in the PTA was honored with a Golden Acorn Award. She also received a leadership award for ten years of work with Blue Birds and Campfire Girls. In addition, she was a Den Mother in Pack 663 of the Club Scouts with many of her Cubs becoming Boy Scouts in Troop 633, five of which attained the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
Concurrent with her youth group work, she was asked to return to teaching, this time in Kindergarten, which she did for several years until back problems forced her to reluctantly resign. At the age of 50, with three children in college, she herself returned to school, earning an MBA from PLU with a high GPA, and passing all parts of the CPA examination on her first attempt at age 54. She went on to teach Financial Accounting at pierce College, PLU. California State University-Long Beach, Humboldt State University, and Massey University in New Zealand. At Massey she designed at taught their first Financial Accounting course tailored to the culture and needs of the native Maori students, of whom she was a great favorite. She always maintained high standards for herself and her students which were reflected in her excellent teacher ratings.
Trinity Lutheran Church in Parkland played an important role in Lee's life. She and Dwight were confirmed there as newlyweds and all there of their children were confirmed at Trinity in their youth. Lee sang in the choirs for many years. Some of her other activities at Trinity included leadership of the One-to-One Program, two terms on the Council, member of the Stewardship Committee, and chairing the last capital fund drive. A relatively recent blessing for Lee has been her inclusion in the Mirian Circle where she appreciated the Bible studies and taught several of them herself. Her deep faith was an enduring source of peace, joy and love.
Her involvement at PLU has gone beyond her roles as a student and part-time teacher. She was active in the PLU's Women Club and served several times as its treasurer. Also, she enjoyed taking an active role in the Club's annual Yule Boutique event. Lee honored her parents by establishing the Alfred D. and Alice G. Bishop Scholarship in Computer Science. In addition, Lee has supported Dwight in every one of his efforts of outreach on behalf of PLU. On October 7, 2005 Lee was surprised and pleased to receive PLU's Heritage Award -Å"for her lifelong support, dedication, and service to her alma matter.-
Survivors include Lee's husband of 59 years less five days, Dwight; Geoffrey and Kathryn (Zulauf) Harris and their three children: Morgan, Adrian, and Erin; David Zulauf and his daughter Zoe; David's wife Shellie and her son Gavin Garza; John and Beth Zulauf and their four children Joshua, Ellen, Nathan, and Shawn; and Deborah Zulauf, mother of Zoe. Lee has three first cousins and their families in England, they are Noel Bishop, Angela Burgess, and Adrian Bishop.
Our immediate family members are amazed that she could balance so many concurrent supporting roles for us and others in her life with such a positive and loving attitude. She found time for herself to read, enjoy music, play Santa's helper, do knitting, counted cross stitch, and to see God's creation firsthand. If we were to ask her how she carried this many roles, she would say, -Å"with the help of our Lord and that of a lot of other people who were willing to help me and did.-
Our family is so grateful to the people at Trinity Lutheran Church who have been there for us over the years and particularly at this time-"our deepest thanks!
A memorial service is scheduled for Lee at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday December 19 at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 12115 Park Avenue South in Parkland.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in honor Lee may be sent to either Trinity Lutheran Church, Food Pantry, or to Pacific Lutheran University, Office of Development, Tacoma, WA 98447.
Condolences may be sent to www.MountainviewTacoma.com
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