Roberta Ann Zimmerman

Lansing, MI

Age 92, of Lansing, formerly of New Orleans, LA, and Grand Rapids, passed away peacefully with her family early on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 15, 2014. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Leonard; her parents, Jerome and Jacintha; and her brothers and sister. She is survived and will be lovingly remembered by their four children: Len, Jr. of Grand Rapids, MI (grandchildren Heather, Lacey and Joscelyn, great-grandchildren Sunny Dale, Kayla and Paige), Debra (Richard) Radke of Tampa, Florida (grandchildren Katie and Travis), Tracy of Lansing, MI, and Melissa of Charlotte, MI (grandchild Michaela).

One of Cherrie's loves as a young adult was dancing. While living and working in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she enjoyed joining a group of women friends and traveling to Army bases to dance with the troops before they went off to war. It was at one of those dances in 1943 that she met Leonard Zimmerman. In spite of his claim to having “2 left feet,” they hit it off and stayed in touch for his deployment to Europe during WWII. Upon his return, they were married September 22, 1945 and relocated to Michigan. They would have celebrated their 67th anniversary in 2012.

Once they had settled in Grand Rapids, Cherrie was a dedicated wife and mother, taking pride in her skills as a homemaker and her ability to organize and handle the family finances, along with raising their four children, which included being quite active in the PTA. Whenever possible, she traveled with Leonard to business conventions around the state and in later years to national events in Washington, DC, along with many other cities in the US. After they relocated to Lansing, Cherrie also worked as his secretary for many years once he opened his home office.

A Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 18, 2014, at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, Lansing, MI. In lieu of flowers, we encourage contributions to the Alzheimer's Association, Michigan Great Lakes Chapter, 310 N. Main, Ste. 100, Chelsea, MI 48118.

Interment will be held at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, MI at a date to be determined.

Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.grlansing.com