Jim Zimmerman

James “Jim” Alan Zimmerman, 63, of Boone, IA, passed away Thursday evening, February 18, 2021, with his family by his side after he experienced a heart attack. 

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and  Neva “Joan” (Curry) Zimmerman. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen (Lawler) Zimmerman of Moingona, IA; his children, Joshua (Lindsy) Zimmerman of Moingona, IA, Amber (Eli) Franzeen of Moingona, IA, Nicole (Tim) Brown of Deming, WA, and Burton (Donnita) Kent of Council Bluffs, IA; and by siblings, Judy (Dean) Stizman of Arnold’s Park, IA, Karen (Kevin) Kestel of Storm Lake, IA, and Dean (Suzanne) Zimmerman of Sac City, IA; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. We will cover his grandchildren later, as he would want to make sure that they have their own paragraph.

Jim was not a man that could be easily summed up in a paragraph or two, so sit tight and enjoy the story, he was after all, the best story teller. 

Jim was born May 17, 1957, in Sac City, IA, to Kenneth and Joan Zimmerman. His days of walking uphill both ways in three feet of snow to school were spent in Sac City. He survived childhood and graduated from Sac City High School in 1975, with the highest honors known at the time (or at least we assume). Jim proudly served his country in the Air Force from 1978-1982, followed by a year in the National Guard. He was based at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, NE, and deployed to Korea. He returned home with a lifetime of memories to share with whoever would listen. Jim proudly entered parenthood in 1985 and again in 1987 with his former wife, Vicki Holm, of Lake City, IA. He spent time building playhouses, coaching T-Ball, and making sure his children experienced life at the Zimmerman Cabin in Arnolds Park. Jim reunited with his teenage sweetheart, Kathleen Lawler, and relocated to Boone, IA, in 1992. They were married on February 14, 1993, and she spent the next 28 years supporting his wheeling and dealing. Jim’s career with Chicago & North Western Railroad began on July 31, 1995. He was a proud rail and one of the best. He reluctantly retired on June 8, 2017, and spent his time filled with projects that he promised would “only take a minute.” Lowes is going to miss Jim, as he loved visiting the store so much that he would tear down and build the same wall in his home, multiple times. He could not walk away from what he believed to be a good deal, and usually made it an even better deal for the next buyers when he would sell three months later. This led to purchasing too many vehicles to count.  Patience was not Jim’s virtue and if you missed his phone call, his stubbornness would make sure he did not answer yours. He did not miss his 2PM nap, the news, or 60 Minutes. Jim had a deep appreciation for buffets and was always offering to pay for his family’s meals so they would join him at Pizza Ranch or Golden Corral (Saint’s Ave Cafe). One of Jim’s favorite past times was taking day trips to Sac City to visit family and friends and he loved to share the many stories of his large family. He also looked forward to his weekly mowing duties with fellow oldtimers of Moingona and using his monocular to spy on his neighbor’s home building progress (luckily, the neighbor is his son-in-law so no law enforcement was needed). Friends (and even strangers) will remember Jim’s ability to strike up a conversation, and hopefully you did not get him started on politics, he was a bit feisty. Regardless of political affiliation, he would be there for anyone in need and always offered a helping hand. 

Now for the grandchildren: Anyone who talked to Jim for more than a minute, knows the real pride and joy of his life were his grandkids; Ethan and Alex Franzeen, Adalynne and Asher Zimmerman, and Willa, Henry, and Jack Brown. To his grandchildren he was the giver of all popsicles, the best pancake maker, and the ultimate best friend. They especially loved accompanying him to “old rails club” for morning coffee and breakfast. They promise to continue his legacy of being a “jokester” and will remember grandpa’s inability to tell them, “No” (except for Alex, he heard that word a lot). Grandpa always wanted to be “tagged” in facebook posts of the grandchildren, and the family will continue to do so. Please continue to follow along, as it will be his way of continuing to share his stories.

A celebration of life will be held when we can all be gathered together in warmer weather, as Jim was not a fan of cold. We look forward to celebrating this legend of a man with all of you.