Frank & Bright Funeral Home
Frank 'Fritz' Zimmerman
Jun 20th, 1951 - Jun 13th, 2020On June 13, 2020, Frank Andrew “Fritz” Zimmerman, 68, of Alachua, FL, was called home by our Heavenly Father after a long battle with cancer.
God thankfully broke the mold after Frank was born to the late Frank Aloysius Zimmerman and Helen Katherine (Harding) on June 20, 1951, in Flora, IL.
After graduating from North Clay High School, Frank decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by seeking a career with CSX Transportation. During his 42-year career with the railroad, he was relocated many times, finding his family living in an orange grove in south Florida, to a chicken farm in Illinois, and everywhere in between. He retired in 2011, to finally live a life with the wind flowing through his long, majestic beard and put thousands of miles on his many motorcycles.
In February 1980, his desire for the open road led him to Erin, Tennessee, where he met the love of his life, Gena Kay Mosley. They met during a game of darts, were married 9 months later, and remained teammates in life for the next 27 years. Together, they had two children, Zackry and Gretchen.
As a father, Frank was a wonderful provider and made sure his wife and children never wanted for anything. He also made sure his children knew who the remote belonged to, even when he was “watching tv” with his eyes closed and snoring. He never stopped his children from living their lives the way they wanted, but was always there to catch them if they fell. When they did make an error in judgement, he would always respond with “Well, I bet you won’t do that again.”
Sadly, after a long illness, Gena Zimmerman passed away in 2007. In 2015, Frank's love of the open road led him to Alachua, Florida, where he met and fell in love with Lisa Turner. They exchanged wedding vows in August 2019 and were together until Frank’s final breath. He dearly loved his two stepchildren Helena and Jay, along with seven grandchildren.
He relished in his role as “Grandpa Frank” to Andrew, Anu, Eden, Summer, Ethan, Austin, and Gavin and hoped that he taught at least one of them how to cuss properly. At times he was a bad influence to the grandkids and orchestrated many shenanigans that just made Lisa shake her head. He enjoyed spending his days playing in the pool with them, letting the kids cut down brush with machetes, and taking turns riding around on the tractor.
Left with years of fond and colorful memories are his wife Lisa Zimmerman of Alachua, FL, his children Zackry Zimmerman of Cincinnati, OH, and Gretchen (Aaron) Loving of Cincinnati, OH, his step-children Jay (Shara) Navarete of Orlando, FL, and Helena (Chris) Robertson of Gainesville, FL, his siblings Ted (Deb) Zimmerman of Flora, IL, and Leann (Tim) Seelman of Greenville, NC, and numerous nieces, nephews, dear friends, and a sweet pug named Pugslee.
A memorial service will be held at Frank & Bright Funeral Home in Flora, IL, on Saturday, June 27, 2020, at 2:00 pm. Visitation time will be from 1 until 2 p.m. on Saturday, as well as a period of time following the service.
In lieu of flowers, in true Frank Zimmerman style, the family asks that everyone go have a good meal with a dear friend or family and share some of your fond memories of Fritz.