Zolitta Kussow

Zolitta Lamb Kussow, age 90, died on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, at the UW Hospital following a massive stroke. Zo was born on May 28, 1923, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the daughter of Dana C. and Zolitta Collins Lamb. She married Omar Nowell Kussow on June 22, 1946. She has four children and six grandchildren. She graduated from Fond du Lac High School in 1941, received a BS in Education from UW-Madison in 1946 and taught English Speech in Lanark, Illinois and Verona, Wisconsin, She was a librarian at Sunnyside School (Madison) from 1964-1968, and received her MS in Library Science from UW-Madison in 1969. She worked as a librarian at Madison Public (Central) Library from 1969 to her retirement in January 1988, primarily working with Fiction, which she loved. Omar and Zo spent their winters in Florida from 1988 to 2002, when they returned permanently to Madison.

She was a proud member of Chapter BL, PEO sisterhood; Gamma Phi Beta; Zeta Phi Eta (National Professional Speech Fraternity); Pi Lambda Theta (honorary education sorority); Beta Phi Mu (honorary library sorority); Madison Civics Club; and Discussion Group (a group of dear friends who met nearly every month for over 50 years); various bridge clubs and book clubs; and she enjoyed monthly group meals with librarian friends.

Zo is survived by her husband Omar of Madison, her children, Barbara (A.T.) Barr of Nicholasville, KY, Curt Kussow of Madison, Mary Brewer of Madison, and Carol Kussow of Madison, and her grandchildren, Jaden Davies of San Francisco, Matt Kussow of Madison, Jon Kussow of Madison, Jenny Bartus of Silver Spring, MD, Kevin Brewer of San Luis Obispo, CA, and Diana Brewer of San Luis Obispo, CA. Her only sibling, Elizabeth Hersey, who she often visited and travelled with, died in 2006.

At her request, there will be no services. Zo's family asks that, in lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorials be made to the Madison Public Library Foundation, 201 W. Mifflin Street, Madison, WI 53705 (madisonpubliclibraryfoundation.org); Wisconsin Paralyzed Veterans, 2311 South 108th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53227 (wisconsinpva.org); or Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc, 302 N. Jackson St, Milwaukee, WI 53202 (plannedparenthood.org/wisconsin/ ).