Carol Zitzner Hubbard
Carol Mae Zitzner Hubbard, age 88, of Viroqua, passed away on October 1st, 2019 at the Bethel Home in Viroqua.
Carol was born on May 12, 1931, in Sterling Township, Vernon County, and raised on an 80-acre farm near West Prairie, Wisconsin. She was the second of four daughters born to Lawrence Zitzner and Ilda Geddes Zitzner. Carol graduated from Viroqua High School in 1948, the Vernon County Normal School in 1950, and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1959. Carol loved to teach. Her first teaching job was at Sunnyside Rural School from 1950-55. From 1955-56, she taught grades five–eight at the Liberty Pole State Graded School, where she also served as principal. Carol taught at Smith Rural School for one year, 1960–61. She started teaching second grade at the Viroqua Elementary School in the fall of 1961 and continued there until her retirement in June of 1991. She served as the Viroqua Education Association secretary and as the treasurer of the Wisconsin State Reading Association, where one year she was runner-up for the Wisconsin Reading Teacher of the Year. She was named Viroqua Area Schools Teacher of the year in the 1980’s. Carol developed many units of study for second graders at Viroqua and was a mentor for many young teachers. The Viroqua Area School Board inducted Carol into the Excellence in Education Wall of Recognition on April 21, 2012. This award is designed to honor past teachers who have made significant contributions to their students, the school and the community. She met her future husband, Lowell Hubbard, when he was handing out calendars to schoolteachers as a Vernon County Deputy Sheriff. They were married on May 28, 1955, and celebrated 58 years of marriage before his death in 2013. They had three children: Cyndy, Candace, and David, and one grandchild, Joy. As busy as she was, she always found time for her children. Carol was a lifetime member of the Liberty Pole United Methodist Church (UMC) where she served as organist, Sunday school teacher and superintendent, and camp counselor. Over the years she has sung with the Sweet Adelines, the Sentimental Singers and the Viroqua UMC Choir. She and Lowell loved to square dance and were members of the Prairie Partners until ill health forced her to quit. “Being a mother, a fulltime public school teacher, Sunday School teacher and superintendent, and church organist didn’t seem to hinder me—we just all worked together,” Carol wrote. “We camped together during the summer and worshiped together on Sundays. It was a wonderful time. I would love to go back there awhile. I always say, the more you give to God, the more He gives to you. My friends at school would say, ‘Carol, how do you do it all?’ I just left it in God’s hands and never thought it too much to do. God knew my strengths and weaknesses.”
Carol is survived by her children, Cyndy Hubbard of Viroqua; Candace Hubbard of Modesto, CA; and David Hubbard of Minneapolis, MN; and her grandchild, Joy Hubbard of Viroqua; her three sisters, Naomi Fanta of Viroqua; Iva Marshall of Reedsburg; and Mary Hughes of Janesville; a brother-in-law, Norton Hubbard of Middleton, WI; and a sister-in-law, Mava Clark, of Dell, WI; plus, many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, four brothers-in-law, one sister-in-law, and her brother, David Zitzner.
A Celebration of Carol’s Life will be held on Saturday, October 5th at 11 a.m. at the Liberty Pole United Methodist Church with Pastor Pam Harkema officiating. Burial will take place in the Liberty Pole Cemetery. Family and friends may call on Friday, October 4th from 5-7 p.m. at the Thorson Funeral Home in Viroqua, they may also call again from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to the Liberty Pole UMC or plant a flower or tree in her memory. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.thorsonfuneralhome.com
The family would like to thank the staff of the Bethel Nursing Home and Maplewood for their loving care of Carol over the years.
The Thorson Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Viroqua is proudly serving the family.
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