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It is with
great regret and sorrow that I must notify you of the death of our Classmate,
Jack Zimmerman, on 12 November, 2021, in Vestavia Hills, AL, as a result of an
acute pulmonary embolism.
Jack is
survived by his wife, Sandy; his daughters, Julie Hohl and her husband, Kurt,
and Jill Meyer; his son, Jeffrey and his wife, Kelly; his grandchildren,
Christian Hohl, Carter Hohl, Cameron Hohl, Connor Hohl, Charlotte Meyer,
Mackenzie Meyer, Jillian Zimmerman, and Khloe Zimmerman; and Sandy’s family.
Jack was predeceased by his wife, Joan, on 23 June 2008.
Visitation will
be 1-3 PM and 4-6 PM, Saturday, 4 December 2021 at Fairfax Memorial Funeral
Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032.
A Celebration
of Life service will be at 2 PM, Sunday, 5 December 2021 at Lord of Life
Lutheran Church, 5114 Twinbrook Road, Fairfax, VA 22032. A reception
will follow at the church. The service will also be live streamed on the
church website, https://www.lordoflifeva.org.
The funeral
service will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined.
Condolences may
be sent to Sandy at 1582 Panorama Drive, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216-3335, and to
Jack’s children, Julie, Jill and Jeffrey, at Jack's home, 5206 Tamar Woods
Court, Fairfax, VA 22032.
In lieu of
flowers, donations in Jack’s memory may be made to the Shepherd’s Center of
Fairfax-Burke, 4019 Olley Lane, Fairfax, VA 22032 or online at http://scfbva.org.
Well done,
Jack. Be thou at peace.
Remembrances:
Class Memorial Pages\A-2 Jack Zimmerman.pdf
Obituaries:
 John (Jack) Bardonner Zimmerman, beloved husband, father and grandfather,
passed away suddenly on November 12, 2021 at a home he shared with his wife,
Sandra H. Dacheux, in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
Born on July 31, 1939, in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the
late Harry R. Zimmerman, Sr. and Viola Bardonner Zimmerman.
Jack left Allison Park for the United States Military Academy at West Point
and a career as an artillery officer in the U.S. Army. It was at a Penn
State-Army football game on a blind date that Jack met a Penn-State co-ed,
Joan Beidler, who became his wife shortly after their graduations in 1961.
Jack’s Army career took them from Germany, where their three children were
born, to Penn State where he earned a master’s degree in chemistry. He
deployed to Vietnam and upon his return he taught chemistry at West Point.
From there the family went to Ft. Hood and returned to the Armed Forces
Staff College in Norfolk before his hardship tour in Korea. His final
assignments were at the Pentagon and in the D.C. area. He retired from the
Army in 1984 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Among other decorations and citations,
Jack was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the
Air Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.
Following his retirement from active military service, Jack entered into a
second career with Olin Ordnance/Primex/BRTRC as a director of new business
and director of the DC office. In 2009 he retired for the second time.
After 47 years of marriage, Joan passed away in 2008. Jack’s sense of
adventure and his “bucket list” inspired him to explore the world. He
visited the Great Wall of China, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Japan, and went
rafting in the Amazon River basin with friends. Jack also visited Italy,
Germany and France, soaking in culture, history and experiences with both
his family and West Point classmates.
Jack found happiness for a second time in his life when he met, and in 2018,
married Sandy Dacheux. They continued world travels and split their time
between homes in Alabama and Virginia.
Jack’s lifelong commitment to his family and friends was unwavering. He
reveled in the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, supporting
them every step of the way. A man of deep faith, Jack became involved with
the programs of Lord of Life Lutheran Church when the family first settled
in Fairfax in 1975. He lived his faith by serving on the congregation
council and in various other leadership positions in the church and
supporting others needing a helping hand. With Joan, he was a founding
member of the Shepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke that helps older adults
live independently in their own homes and served as vice chair of its board
for many years. He invested himself helping newcomers to this country by
teaching ESL classes for most of 15 years through Lord of Life’s program.
Jack was also a long-time board member for the Alzheimer’s Association of
Northern Virginia Community. He was passionate about his community and led a
life of service in ways too numerous to mention.
Jack had a wide circle of friends from all corners of his life, and his
retired life was defined by his close relationships with his grandchildren,
family gatherings, friendships and helping others. Jack never met a person
who didn’t remember him fondly afterwards and was a story-teller
extraordinaire. In addition to his family, Jack’s passions were golfing,
history and travelling, especially with his A-2 Company West Point
classmates. Winning the green jacket at the annual golf Spring Fling was
always a point of pride. And the annual family vacations at Bethany Beach,
Delaware were a special tradition for forty-five years.
To those who knew Jack, he was larger than life yet humble, honest, a
life-long learner who was always curious, and a man genuinely grateful for
the many blessings of his life. His intellect, zeal for living and sense of
adventure has left an indelible legacy to inspire all he knew. Jack showed
us what a life well lived looks like and we are so fortunate to have had
this vibrant man in our lives.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra H. Dacheux, his children, Julie Zimmerman
Hohl (Kurt) of McLean, Virginia, Jill Z. Meyer of Leawood, Kansas, and
Jeffrey B. Zimmerman (Kelly) of Boonsboro, Maryland; grandchildren,
Christian, Carter, Cameron and Connor Hohl, Charlotte and Mackenzie Meyer,
and Jillian and Khloe Zimmerman; brother, Harry R. Zimmerman, Jr. of
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania; and sister-in-law, Susan K. Beidler of Williamsport,
Pennsylvania.
Family and friends are invited to a visitation on Saturday, December 4, 2021
from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Fairfax Memorial Funeral
Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22032. A Celebration of Life
will be held at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 5114 Twinbrook Road, Fairfax,
Virginia 22032 on Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. with a reception to
follow at the church. The service will also be live-streamed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Shepherd’s Center
of Fairfax-Burke, 4019 Olley Lane, Fairfax, VA 22032. Interment will be held
at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date.
Assembly/Taps Memorial Article:
JOHN B. ZIMMERMAN 1961
Cullum No. 23361-1961 | November 12, 2021 | Died in Vestavia Hills, ALbrInterred in Arlington National Cemetery, VA
 John Bardonner “Jack” Zimmerman—beloved husband, father and grandfather—passed
away suddenly on November 12, 2021 at a home he shared with his wife, Sandra H.
Dacheux, in Vestavia Hills, AL. Born on July 31, 1939 in Allison Park, PA, he
was the son of the late Harry R. Zimmerman Sr. and Viola Bardonner Zimmerman.
Jack left Allison Park in July 1957 and reported to West Point with the Class of
1961. Excelling in leadership and academics, he was selected to be a cow
corporal in 1959. In his First Class year, Jack was selected to be a cadet
captain and became the company commander of A-2. During his time at West Point,
Jack attended a Penn State-Army football game as the blind date of a Penn State
coed Joan Beidler. After a typical West Point courtship, they fell in love. They
were married shortly after both of their graduations in 1961.Commissioned in the
Field Artillery, Jack’s Army career took them from Germany, where their three
children were born, to Penn State where he earned a master’s degree in
chemistry. He deployed to Vietnam in 1968 as the S-3 of an artillery battalion.
Upon his return he was assigned to West Point, where he taught chemistry. From
there the family went to Fort Hood, TX, where Jack was assigned to the 1st
Cavalry Division. He was subsequently selected for attendance at the Armed
Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA. Following this assignment, he did an
unaccompanied tour in Korea in his basic branch, Field Artillery. His final
assignments were on the Army staff at the Pentagon and in the D.C. area. He
retired from the Army in 1984 as a lieutenant colonel. Among other decorations
and citations, Jack was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the
Air Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. He
was both Airborne and Ranger qualified.
Following his retirement from active military service, Jack entered into a
second career with the Olin Ordnance/Primex/BRTR company, a government
contractor, as the director of new business and director of the D.C. office. In
2009 he retired for the second time.
After 47 years of marriage, Joan passed away in 2008. Jack’s sense of adventure
and his “bucket list” inspired him to explore the world. He visited the Great
Wall of China, Vietnam, India, Nepal, and Japan, and he went rafting in the
Amazon River basin with friends. Jack also visited Italy, Germany, and France,
soaking in culture, history, and experiences with both his family and West Point
classmates.
Jack found happiness for a second time in his life when he met, and then married
Sandy Dacheux in 2018. They continued world travels and split their time between
homes in Alabama and Virginia.
Jack’s lifelong commitment to his family and friends was unwavering. He reveled
in the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, supporting them every
step of the way. A man of deep faith, Jack became involved with the programs of
Lord of Life Lutheran Church, where the family first settled in Fairfax, VA in
1975. He lived his faith by serving on the congregation council and in various
other leadership positions in the church and supporting others needing a helping
hand. With Joan, he was a founding member of the Shepherd’s Center of
Fairfax-Burke, which helps older adults live independently in their own homes,
and he served as vice chair of its board for many years. He invested himself
helping newcomers to this country by teaching English as a second language
classes for most of 15 years through Lord of Life’s program. Jack was also a
longtime board member for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern Virginia
Community. He was passionate about his community and led a life of service in
ways too numerous to mention.
Jack had a wide circle of friends from all corners of his life, and his retired
life was defined by his close relationships with his grandchildren, family
gatherings, friendships and helping others. Jack never met a person who didn’t
remember him fondly afterwards and he was a storyteller extraordinaire. In
addition to his family, Jack’s passions were golfing, history and traveling,
especially with his A-2 Company West Point classmates. Winning the green jacket
at A-2’s annual Golf Spring Fling was always a point of pride. The annual family
vacations at Bethany Beach, DE were a special family tradition for 45 years. To
those who knew Jack, he was larger than life, yet humble, honest, and a lifelong
learner who was always curious and a man genuinely grateful for the many
blessings of his life. His intellect, zeal for living and sense of adventure has
left an indelible legacy to inspire all he knew. Jack showed us what a life well
lived looks like, and we are so fortunate to have had this vibrant man in our
lives.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra H. Dacheux; his children: Julie Zimmerman
Hohl (Kurt) of McLean, VA, Jill Z. Meyer of Leawood, KS, and Jeffrey B.
Zimmerman (Kelly) of Boonsboro, MD; his grandchildren: Christian, Carter,
Cameron and Connor Hohl, Charlotte and Mackenzie Meyer, and Jillian and Khloe
Zimmerman; his brother, Harry R. Zimmerman Jr. of Glenshaw, PA; and his
sister-in-law, Susan K. Beidler of Williamsport, PA.
— Sandy, Julie, Jill, Jeff, and classmates
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