MINSTER — The Minster Civic Association has recognized a 41-year-resident of the village as its newest “Citizen of the Year.” The award was presented Saturday night.
Linda Kitzmiller was honored by the association Saturday night. She moved to Minster in 1977 and prior to moving to Minster, she lived all over the world … attending six different schools. She earned the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1970 and Master of Nursing in 1974. She was an assistant professor at the University of Mississippi where she taught nursing and participated in the births of over 1,000 babies.
“I was an interested listener when the award presentation began,” said Kitzmiller. “It is always fun to try to guess who the honoree will be. I sat up a little straighter when Kurt Baumer, the presenter, mentioned that the award recipient was a female. Still not really making the connection ,however, until he mentioned the fact that the recipient held a Bachelors and a Masters degree in nursing. That would be me. So I was delightfully surprised and very honored to have been selected. And very appreciative of the acknowledgement.
“I would like to say that Minster is a “great place to live” and raise a family. It has been my pleasure to have lived here and to have served my community for over 40 years,” she said.
After moving to Minster, her first lasting memory was the Blizzard of 1978. Despite the terrible experience, she felt that Minster was a great place to live and raise a family … and she needed to invest her time and talent to give back to the area.
Kitzmiller’s first job in Ohio was conducting the Feasibility Study for a Nursing Program at Edison State Community College. Her feasibility study was approved and Edison State Community College’s nursing program has maintained full accreditation and approval throughout its history.
She has more than 26 years of service as the Minster representative to the Auglaize County Board of Health. She currently serves as the president of the board.
Kitzmiller has more than 20 years of service as the Minster representative to the Auglaize County Educational Service Center. She has served as the president of the board in the past. In the most recent election, she won another term and earned the second highest number of votes.
She has more than 12 years of service as the Minster representative to the Joint Township District Memorial Hospital (St. Marys) Foundation Board. She personally sponsored the new beauty shop in transitional care during the hospital’s most recent remodeling project.
Her service in the Minster community includes:
• Over 18 years of service on the Minster Zoning Board.
• Over 18 years of service on the Minster Planning Commission.
• In the past, she served on the Minster Area Life Squad Advisory Board.
A member of the St. Augustine Parish, over the past 40 years, she has served on the following committees: Parish Council, Education Commission, Welcoming Committee and Change for Change. She has been a Eucharistic Minister for over 25 years.
For the past 30 years, she has continuously served as a Catechist providing religious education to children enrolled in the St. Augustine Church Religious Education Program. Each year, she works diligently to receive her advanced certification, which is the highest continuing education accreditation for religious education teachers. She has tirelessly and selflessly shared the Catholic faith, values and traditions in the classroom. She now teaches second generation children … having taught their parents as well.
People say the most used book in their home, and the best phone book, is the St. Augustine/St. Joseph “Parish Pictorial Directory.” It now has everything including the maiden names and cell phone numbers if submitted. If you have one, you probably use it. And if you have the 2009 directory, know that LifeTouch (the company that produced the directory) submitted it to their industry where it won the highest award for that type of book. And if you want to have some fun, check out the 2004 directory. With lots of help from teams of volunteers, Kitzmiller has been responsible for the directory over the past 15 years. She has made the comment, “working on the pictorial directory is like having a baby … it takes about nine months and after two-to-three years, you forget the pain and aggravation.”
Kitzmiller and her husband, Don, are the parents of two children, Andy and Paul Kitmiller, both of Cincinnati. They have five grandchildren, Ben, Maggie, Charlie, Philip and George.
