Henry P. Zimmerman, 98, died Tuesday, April 24, 2012, at Harmony Commons in Stevens Point.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Stevens Point, with the Rev. George Thayilkuzhithottu officiating. Burial with full military honors will be in Guardian Angel Cemetery in Stevens Point.
Visitation will at Shuda Funeral Chapel in Stevens Point from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, with an American Legion Post 6 ritual at 6:30 p.m. and a rosary at 7 p.m., and at the church from 10 a.m. Saturday until the Mass.
Condolences may be offered online at www.shudafuneral.com.
Mr. Zimmerman was born June 23, 1913, in Rudolph, a son of the late Paul and Elizabeth (Schiltz) Zimmerman. He attended St. Philomana Parish Grade School. During the depression he began working at the Biron Paper Mill. He served in the National Guard from 1933 to 1936, and he participated on Father Wagner’s crew during the depression in building the Rudolph Grotto.
He entered the U.S. Army on Dec. 13, 1944. He served as a staff sergeant, and earned the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Ribbon, Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Army Occupation-Japan Medal. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 14, 1946, at Fort Sheridan, Ill.
He was married Joan Sturgis in April 1945 in San Louis Obispo, Calif. She died in 2010.
The couple settled in Rudolph where they opened the first of five grocery stores they operated. After a few years they moved to Amherst and opened a store there and also in Iola. In 1957 they moved to Stevens Point. He owned and operated the Westside Market for a number of years before going into business with Jerry Zimmerman, building Westgate Food Mart. He sold his portion of the business in 1972 and retired.
His grocery experience helped in the development of the SHARE program in Portage County. He was a past member of the Lions, Elks, Moose and a honorary life member of the Knights of Columbus.
Survivors include two sons, Dean, Elkhart Lake, and Hank (Susan), Franklin; one daughter, Rose (Michael) Ford, St. Cloud, Minn.; one daughter-in-law, Karen Zimmerman, Appleton; four sisters, Isabel Konkol, Wisconsin Rapids, and Adeline (Leon) Peters, Louise (Mert) Hartjes and Irene Hartjes, all of Rudolph; one brother, Val (Marlene) Zimmerman, Minneapolis, Minn.; six grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
He was also preceded in death by three sons, Patrick, Greg and Bob; one brother, Eddie; one sister, Marion; and one daughter-in-law, Barb.
