Robert L. Zimmerman, 89, of Empire, passed away April 9, 2018.
Robert was born on July 26, 1928 to the late Howard "Jake" and Bessie (Tomlinson) in Forest City, Illinois.
In 1952, Robert graduated from nursing school at Alexian Brothers in St. Louis, MO. On March 7, 1953 he married Joy Clancy and they began their wonderful lives together.
For many years Robert was an avid bowler. He was an excellent and dedicated gardener sharing his bounty with family and Empire community. He also like to do woodworking and work on cars. He enjoyed many hours with his daughters riding the trails around Empire on his Tennessee Walking Horses.
Robert was the super fan of the girls and boys basketball teams at Glen Lake. He rarely missed a game. He was also an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers.
In 1953 he and his wife were both hired at the Traverse City State Hospital and to the best of his knowledge, he was the first male nurse hired in Traverse City. He went on to have an exceptional career and was appointed the Director of Nursing retiring in 1985 after 32 years of service.
The list of accomplishments for Robert are endless, but one that he is most proud of and so is his family was the ability for him to build his Empire home by himself and with no mortgage.
Robert is survived and missed by his four daughters; Vicky Zimmerman, Joy Clancy, Diane (Tom) Tatar and Gail (Pete) Belcher. He is also survived and missed by his grandchildren; Peter Belcher Jr., Michele (Chris) Wakeley, Patrick Belcher, Samuel Tatar, Daniel Tatar and Todd (Shihoji) Tatar as well as great grandchildren; Spencer and Sawyer Wakeley, Lilya and Brayden Belcher, Julius, Koyuki and Oliver Tatar. He is also survived by his brother Virgil Zimmerman
He is preceded in death by his wife, his parents, his sisters; Lorene Kreiling, Eveylyn Miller and Shirley Brown, and brothers; Kenneth and Donald Zimmerman.
Visitation will take place Sunday April 15, 2018 at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home from 4-7pm. A celebration of Bob's life will take place Monday April 16, 2018 at 11:00 am at the Empire United Methodist Church with visitation one hour prior.
Please visit www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com to share your memories and condolences with the family on Robert's tribute page.
Those wishing an expression of sympathy may choose to do so in Robert's honor to the girls and boys basketball program of Glen Lake School; 3375 W Burdickville Rd, Maple City, MI 49664
The family is being cared for and served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.