Zona Lee Bolton-Suess

Zona Lee Bolton-Suess, 78, died October 5, 2018, at Corvallis, OR, following a long illness. She was born in Lyons, KS, June 21, 1940 to Laurence I. and Mary V. Bolton. She attended elementary and high school at Macksville, KS, and graduated in 1958 as Valedictorian of her class and as a National Merit Scholar. She attended Kansas State University, where she met Erwin Suess, a geologist and Ph.D. candidate. They were married in a small limestone church near Tuttle Creek outside Manhattan on August 7, 1965. Because of Erwin’s expertise in marine geology and ocean exploration, Zona and Erwin traveled the world, living in Bermuda, Honolulu, Tokyo, Berlin, Paris and for decades in Kiel, Germany and Corvallis, OR where they kept their principal home from 1976 to the present. While in Hawaii, Zona attended and graduated from the University of Hawaii with a B.A. degree in English on June 8, 1969. Subsequently she was lecturer at the University of Kiel, Germany from 1970-1976, and received certificates in the German language from the University of Kiel and Goethe-Institute, Kochel. Zona is survived by her husband; her sister, Mary Jane Joplin (Joneal); her brother, Larry Bolton (Marilyn); her brother-in-law, Karl-Guenter Suess (Doris); four nieces and one nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents. Graveside service will be held at the Lyons Municipal Cemetery October 20 at 3:00 P.M. Memorials may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America in care of Birzer Funeral Home, 214 W Ave South, Lyons, KS. 67554.

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