Retired from Teaching, 105-Year-Old Woman an Inspiration to Many, Including Former Berwyn Student

By

Mary Grace Holtzapple
Image via Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record.
Mary Grace Holtzapple, far left.

Mary Grace Holtzapple, a former teacher, celebrated her 105th birthday surrounded by her friends, family, and former students, including Meg Zarfos, of Berwyn, writes Paul Kuehnel for the York Daily Record

Holtzapple always knew she wanted to be a teacher, and ended up teaching at York Suburban High School. Her career spanned 45 of educating students, and Zarfos was one of them.

Zarfos was Holtzapple’s student from 1960 until 1963. She was so inspired by her teacher and the way in which she made Latin exciting that she went on to become a teacher herself. She taught Latin and French in Chester County for 37 years. 

At the time, she said, “everyone took Latin and then you would branch out to a modern language after that.” 

Zarfos loved how her former teacher “mixed excitement with subject matter” to get everybody more interested in the subject. 

She “gave us an inspiration to teach,” said Zarfos. 

Read more about the celebration in the York Daily Record

_____

Connect With Your Community

Subscribe to stay informed!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Advertisement
Creative Capital logo