Loretta Mae (Kratzer) Meitzler, 91, of Emmaus, died at her home Sept. 19, 2020. Born in Emmaus, she was the daughter of the late Herbert O. Kratzer and Clara V. (Carl) Kratzer and stepdaughter of Florence V. (Miller) Kratzer.

She raised her family in Vineland, N.J. and 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 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 descendant 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.

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

She had an exceptional 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 four 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.

She was close to all of her children and never showed favoritism. She had an innate sense of what was right and was kindness personified.

She is survived by daughters, Darlene Dunn, of Dale, Texas and Marguerite and her husband, John Strom, of Washington, D.C.; four grandchildren, Timothy, Jamie Shombert (husband, Daniel), Nicholas and James William Baird Jr.; four great-grandchildren, Dominique Formelio, Aubrey Shombert, Zoe Shombert and Christian; one great-great-grandchild, Nicholas Balush Jr. She was predeceased by daughters, Linda Baird, of Millville, N.J. and Bonnie, of Philadelphia; siblings, Wilbur, Milton, Carl and Althea Kratzer.

A graveside gathering of friends and family will be held 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at Northwood Cemetery on Harrison Street, Emmaus. Face masks will be worn and social distancing will be practiced for protection of all.

Arrangements were made by the Schantz Funeral Home, P.C., Emmaus.