Christine Katharine Merchant


May 3, 1914 - February 3, 2016








Christine Katharine Augusta Busch Merchant, 101, died February 3, 2016 in Paris, Kentucky.
A resident of Kentucky for the past 57 years, Christine was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and graduated from the University of Heidelberg. She came to the United States in 1939 with her first husband, an anthropologist, Dr. Robert M. Zingg. After a divorce, she worked for the United States Air Force in Denver, Colorado raising her two sons. Christine married her second husband, Dr. Frank Merchant in 1949 and they had two sons. They moved to Kentucky in 1958.
Christine worked most of her life as a teacher, teaching Latin and German at the high school level and later as an Associate Professor at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky where she taught Physics and Chemistry.
Christine was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Barbourville, Kentucky and was active in the Methodist women. She loved theater and once wrote a nativity play which was performed by church members.
Mrs. Merchant was interested in many things including gardening, cooking and baseball. She was the first to grow kohlrabi in her Barbourville garden. Christine loved to entertain and was well known for her delicious meals which were prepared in the classic tradition of Southern Germany. She was an ardent fan of the Cincinnati Reds.
Mrs. Merchant was known for her love of board and word games. She rarely lost playing scrabble or boggle. She was entertained by regularly beating her sons at chess. If she was not playing these games with her neighbors and family she could be found working on the New York Times crossword puzzle.
Known as "Oma" to her family, Mrs. Merchant is survived by her sons Robert Zingg, Jr. and Karl Merchant; eight grandchildren; and 22 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Frank Merchant and her sons Henry Zingg and Scott Franklin Merchant.
A memorial service will be held in May. For more information about Christine Busch, please go to grapesandpeas.blogspot.com and look for Christine Katharine Augusta Busch.