HOLTON-Gary Raymond Zimmerman, 59, passed away on December 23, 2008 at Holton, Kansas. He was born January 6, 1949 at Leavenworth, Kansas the son of Raymond F. and Imogene M. Worland Zimmerman. He was raised in western Leavenworth Co., KS near the Spring Dale Community.
He graduated from Tonganoxie Rural High School in 1966. He graduated from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1973. He then practiced in Tonganoxie, KS; Fallbrook, CA; and Overland Park, KS.
He was married to Marcia Kay Wilhite in July of 1978. They had 4 sons, Bryan J. of O'Fallon, MO; Brad L. of Manhattan, KS; Cody M. of St. Charles, MO; and Kyle R. of Holton, KS. He and his family operated a Jackson County dairy farm from 1984 to 1992. Marcia and Gary were divorced in 1994.
He married Jan E. Bentley in December of 1996. Through this marriage he received 2 step-daughters, Tara (Bentley) Moyer and her husband, Randy of Westminster, CO and Suzanne (Bentley) Reese and her husband, Mike stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. Gary practiced in Onaga and Holton, KS from 1995 intermittently through 2007.
Gary contracted Multiple Myeloma in 1998. He spent the next 10 years in treatment of this form of bone marrow cancer.
During his 24 years of residence in the Holton community, he was active in helping the local baseball program from Little League through American Legion. He hopes that his work with junior baseball will carry forward in the future through a memorial baseball scholarship fund.
He is survived by his wife, Jan of the home; his sons; step-daughters and 3 grandchildren, Ava Mae and Gavin Reese and Dylan Moyer. He is also survived by cousins, Suzanne and Barry Cooper of Mission Hills, KS, James E. Zimmerman of Topeka, KS and Delores Deay of Des Moines, IA.
Services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 27, 2008 at the Evangel United Methodist Church at 3rd and Pennsylvania in Holton. The family will greet friends from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday evening at the church. He will lie in state until 3 p.m. Friday at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. It was Gary's wish that memorials be given to the Gary R. Zimmerman Memorial Fund in lieu of flowers which the family will use toward baseball programs in Holton. Memorials may be sent to Mercer Funeral Home, Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, visit www.grzmemorial.com