Donald Zytowski's Obituary
Donald Zytowski completed a long and satisfying life of over 96 years, when he left this life on January 7th, 2026 in Ames, Iowa. Remembrance will be held at the Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Ames, Iowa on February 6th, 2026. Visitation will begin at 10 am, with a service at 11 am. "Z", as he was affectionately known by friends and colleagues alike, was born on June 10th, 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Dewey and Hilda (Henning) Zytowski. He served in the US military, stationed in Germany as a Corporal in the AUS (Army of the United States) Artillery, from 1952 to 1954. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harris Teachers College in St. Louis in 1952 and his master's and doctoral degrees from Washington University, also in St. Louis, in 1965. He was employed as a counseling psychologist in the Student Counseling Service at Iowa State University from 1965 to 1990, helping students achieve their educational and vocational goals, as well as teaching selected classes and doing research. He is particularly well-known for his work with Dr. G. F. Kuder's Interest Inventories. His many studies related to Kuder's instruments provided significant contributions to the field of study. He was a fellow and past president of the Society of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association, from whom he received the Leona Tyler award in 2003, and was a founding member of the Society of Vocational Psychology. He was also a member of the National Career Development Association, from whom he received the Eminent Career Award in 1993. In retirement from the university, he continued research and development with Kuder, Inc., of Adel Iowa, to further develop the Kuder Interest Inventory test, which is widely used for vocational counseling. Z was a multidimensional person who loved to create, to explore, to find out something new and communicate these things through his writing and teaching. He maintained an active interest in leisure activities throughout his life, including building a cabin on a Minnesota lake and later refurbishing an apartment in Minneapolis with his wife Kathryn. Additionally, he enjoyed spending time sailing, woodworking, gardening, learning about architecture, exploring utopian communities in the United States, discovering family history, and writing articles on the history of vocational guidance. He was a charter member of the Ames chapter of the Des Moines Metro Opera Guild, reflecting a lifelong interest in music. He also loved spending time in winter on Sanibel Island, Florida with his children and grandchildren (and also friends) creating many lifetime memories. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn (Scholten) Zytowski, his sons Carl Glenn of Seattle, Washington and Eric Bruce (Valerie Stouffer) of Winthrop, Washington, stepsons, Greg Holmberg (Maria Pratt) of Lafayette, California, and Jon Holmberg of Broomfield, Colorado, and seven grandchildren, Vita Zytowski Burwell, Max Zytowski Burwell, Claire (Pratt Holmberg) Mullet, Ellie Pratt Holmberg, Calvin Holmberg, Caralea Holmberg, and KitKat Holmberg. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Lois Fern Remley of Ames, Iowa, and his brother Carl Byrd Zytowski of Santa Barbara, California.
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