Paul Zietlow

Paul Nathan Zietlow died peacefully in his sleep in Bloomington on Friday, May 22nd at the age of 80. He was with Charlotte, his wife of 58 years, and family friends. Paul was born in Neenah, Wisconsin on February 14 1935, the second son to Ruth and Carl F. Zietlow. He spent his formative years in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he graduated from University High School in 1952 after spending two years at the American Dependents' High School in Frankfurt, Germany. Paul then attended Yale University, where he was active in drama and intramural sports and was a member of Scroll & Key, graduating magna cum laude in 1956 with a B.A. in English. He earned a PhD from the University of Michigan, where, sadly, his attendance corresponded with the only period in Michigan's modern history in which they were terrible at football, a fact that pained him throughout his life. While at Michigan he won two Hopwood Awards for writing, one each for drama and short story. In 1957, he married his long-time sweetheart Charlotte Ernst Thiele, with whom he had attended U-High in the Twin Cities and remained friends throughout college. After receiving his PhD from Michigan, Paul joined the English Department at Indiana University in 1964, where he remained throughout his 35-year career, teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, focusing on Victorian poetry. Paul was a noted scholar, authoringMoments of Vision: The Poetry of Thomas Hardy,and numerous articles published in various academic journals. He was treasured as a teacher because he taught his students to love poetry and literature. Paul leaves a legacy of students who were inspired by him to teach literature to others. He earned the Brown Derby award in 1978, a campus-wide award for teaching and service to students which is given to only one professor each year. Paul was valued as a colleague due to his sense of fairness and balance, and his incisive and unflinching approach to solving problems. Paul also was active in the Bloomington community, serving on the boards of the Bloomington Playwright's Project, the Lotus Festival, Planned Parenthood and many other organizations. He was a lover of opera, music, theater, all manner of sports, literature and politics. During his retirement, he stayed active, traveling extensively with Charlotte and their children's families. He was a loving, gentle and devoted father, husband, and grandfather. His children and grandchildren will cherish the memory of his singing, storytelling, joking, and unstinting devotion. Paul had a strong network of friends, who showed their mutual affection by visiting him regularly during his last few difficult months. Paul is survived by his wife Charlotte, their children Rebecca (of Toledo, Ohio) and Nathan (of St. Paul, MN); Rebecca's husband, David Koeninger, and their daughters, Alice and Zoe; Nathan's wife, Sarah Risser, and their children, Nina and Henry; and his sisters-in-law, Harriet Statz and Janie Zietlow, Harriet's husband Ray, and his dear nieces and nephews. In the words of Thomas Hardy, Paul was "a good man. He did good things." A memorial service will be held at 4pm on Monday, June 8, 2015 at Deer Park Manor.

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Paul Zietlow

February 14, 1935 - May 22, 2015