Grace Margaretta Baumeister

Grace Margaretta Zischkau Baumeister, 91, passed away peacefully on Dec. 22, 2021 at McLaren Hospital in Lansing, MI. Gracie, as she was affectionately known by all, was born on Sept. 28, 1930 in Turtle Creek, PA to Herbert Stuart Zischkau and Laura Mae Butterfield Zischkau. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Barbara Zischkau and Eleanor Uckele. She is survived by her brother, Herbert Zischkau, daughters Betsy (Michael) Osoffsky, Ellie Sartorius, and Laura Baumeister (Don McKinney), and son Bill (Monica) Baumeister, grandchildren Eric, Drew (Andrea), and Heath Sartorius, and Natalie and Ava Baumeister, and great-grandsons Lincoln and Gideon Sartorius. She also leaves many nieces and nephews, and dear friends such as Estella Sudau, to cherish her memory. Grace received her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts at University of Pittsburgh and her Master’s in Education at University of Cincinnati. She was a piano teacher and church organist for many years. Her varied interests and pursuits brought her a variety of experiences throughout her life, most notably selling pianos and organs for Baldwin, and she lived independently to the end. She loved telling jokes and collecting items to give to her friends and family. Her larger-than-life personality made an indelible impression on everyone she met.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, February 25, 2022 at Somerset Apartments 1401 W. Holmes Road, Lansing, MI 48910. Interment will take place at a later date at Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh. Due to Grace’s passion for gardening, the family requests memorials be made by planting a tree in her memory, or donating to the Arbor Day Foundation. Additionally, a GoFundMe account has been established with Fluke Hearing Instruments for assistance to hearing-impaired individuals, at https://gofund.me/2cdae69d

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.greastlansing.com for the Baumeister family.