Marie Elizabeth Asta
May 30, 2019 - December 30, 2018
Obituary
Born in Toledo, Ohio to Emil & Emilie (Zumbrunn) Hirzel the youngest of their five children.
Died in Seattle Washington age 99.
She grew up in the family home on Buffalo Street and graduated from Woodward High School in 1937. Marie was gifted with a lovely soprano singing voice and sang the lead in operettas during her high school years, including performances on the radio. She also sang in her church choir at First Evangelical & Reformed (First UCC) and at many Christmas and Easter services performed as a soloist. Her entire Swiss family were active members of Swiss Hall where she met her future husband Eugene Asta. They were married in 1938 and had four daughters, Marie, Barbara, Joan & Jean. After many years of operating a Delicatessen with her husband, in 1956 Marie started work at Kroger’s in the meat department. She worked there until mid-1967 when she and her husband Gene and their youngest daughter, recently graduated from high school, moved to Seattle to start the second half of her life. She and Gene opened their own Personnel Agency and ran it together until their retirement in 1985. They spent many happy years during retirement visiting their daughters in Boston, New York and Paris, France. During one of their trips to Paris to visit daughter Barbara, they bought a Peugeot and drove all over Europe and then had it shipped home to Seattle. At home she was an enthusiastic gardener also enjoyed camping and traveling in the Pacific Northwest.
Her greatest joy in life was attending to others and giving of herself. She was generous to her family and everyone she ever knew. At the end of her life, the hardest thing for her while residing in the nursing home was that she wasn’t able to attend to and comfort others.
Marie was predeceased by her Husband Gene, brothers Edward and Emil Hirzel, sister Emily Hirzel, daughter Barbara Pannequin and son-in-law Borys Patchowsky.
Left to cherish her memory is her older sister Katharine Carr, daughters Marie (Charles) Huhta, Joan Patchowsky and Jean (Terry) Birkland. Six Grandchildren, James (Audrey) Breay, Elizabeth (Eliot) Nottleson, Jennifer (James) Morrill, Katharine Patchowsky, Andrew Patchowsky, Jessica (Bryan) Schubert, eight Great Grandchildren and many wonderful nieces and nephews all of whom she loved dearly.
A memorial service will be held Friday, January 11, 2019 at 2:00 pm in the chapel of Genacross Lutheran Services, Toledo Campus, 131 N. Wheeling Street, Toledo followed by a reception. Private burial: Lake Township Cemetery. Eggleston Meinert & Pavley Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. www.eggleston-meinert.com