Thomas James Zimmerman

Thomas James Zimmerman (Tom, Butch) passed away September 30, 2023, surrounded by family. He was born October 16, 1939 in Springfield, IL to Frank Zimmerman and Marie (Pohl) Zimmerman. He was the youngest of six children born to their marriage. He was affectionately known to many as “Butch”, which means youngest in the family in German. Butch and Sonny moved to Colorado in 1968 with their two young children. They planted their roots in the Fremont County community where they opened Zimmerman’s Body Shop in 1975 which is still serving the community. Butch enjoyed archery, painting, metal sculpting, golfing, played a pivotal role in his grandchildren’s lives as their “Papa”, and always a hot rod and car racing enthusiast. His proudest achievement was winning the Mopar Mile High Nationals in 1995.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 62 years, Sonny (Stewart) Zimmerman; his daughter, Sherry Zimmerman (Jeff Teter) and son, John Zimmerman (Liane “Buffie” McFadyen); grand children, Ben Eric Bustos and Amanda (Zimmerman) Bendell (Brent); great-grandchildren, Tyler, Camryn and Logan Bendell; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by all his siblings: brothers, Frank, Robert, and Richard Zimmerman and sisters, Kathleen Jones and Mary Ann Palmasino; beloved nephew, Frank (Fritz) Zimmerman and his wife Gina; sisters in law, Kay, Helen, Paulie, and Pauline Zimmerman; and brothers in law, Jim Jones, and Richard Palmasino.

At his request, there will be no official service. The family will be having a celebration of his life on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at the Abbey Events Center located at: 2951 US Highway 50, Canon City, CO, a small ceremony will be held from 11:00-11:30 to share memories with a reception to follow. Please bring your memories to share. Those of you with street rods, feel free to drive them on down.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Sangre de Cristo Hospice in his name. At a later date, a scholarship program will be established in his name at Hildebrand Care Center to help fund Certified Nurses Assistants at Pueblo Community College.

On behalf of the family, we are sincerely grateful to Hildebrand Care Center and Sangre de Cristo Hospice for the tremendous love and care he received while in their care. You are all truly angels on earth.

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