Loretta Mae (Kratzer) Meitzler, 91 years old, of Emmaus, PA, died at her home on September 19, 2020. Born in Emmaus on January 6, 1929, she was the daughter of Herbert O. Kratzer and Clara V. (Carl) Kratzer, and stepdaughter to Florence V. (Miller) Kratzer, and youngest sister to siblings Wilbur, Milton, Carl, and Althea Kratzer.

Surviving family members include two of her daughters, Darlene Dunn of Dale, TX, and Marguerite Strom (husband John) of Washington, DC; four grandchildren, Timothy Meitzler, Jamie Shombert (husband Daniel), Nicholas Meitzler, and James William Baird, Jr.; four great-grandchildren, Dominique Formelio, Aubrey Shombert, Zoe Shombert, and Christian Meitzler; and one great-great-grandchild, Nicholas Balush, Jr.  Loretta was predeceased by her daughters Linda Baird of Millville, NJ, and Bonnie Meitzler of Philadelphia, PA.

Loretta raised her family in Vineland, NJ. She retired from the Newcomb Hospital after 35 years as manager of the food services department and returned to Emmaus to care for her older sister, Althea, who died in 1998. She also worked at Manco Manor in Emmaus for 10 years. She was a gentle and soft-spoken person, with never a harsh word for anyone.

She was a direct descendent of Johann Philip Kratzer and Maria Barbara (Woerhler) Kratzer, one of the oldest families who arrived in America in 1737 and settled in the Emmaus area.

Loretta was a gardener who spent the spring, summer, and autumn mornings in her back yard. She loved any kind of flowers. Undoubtedly, her presence in her garden will be missed by her neighbors.

She had an exceptionally acute memory, which was a resource for her family when they needed to check on the date of a specific event. She never failed in the accuracy of her recounting of something that happened 40 years ago or 4 weeks ago. Her intellectual curiosity produced questions that led to searches on the Internet for answers. She never stopped learning. She became an ardent user of an iPad she received when she was 85 years old.

Loretta was close to all of her children and never showed favoritism. She had an innate sense of what was right and was kindness personified. Loretta was more than a "good person," she was someone to be emulated. She was an excellent human being, neighbor, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother. She will be missed deeply by all.

There will be a graveside gathering of friends and family on Saturday, October 10 ^th at 1:00 p.m., at Northwood Cemetery on Harrison Street in Emmaus. We will be wearing face masks and social distancing for protection of all.