Jon W. Zimmer Jr., 54
Jon W. Zimmer Jr., of Okemos, Mich., formerly of Elmhurst, died peacefully on October 6, 2016, after a nearly four-year battle with cancer. He was 54 years old. He is survived by parents Jon W. Zimmer Sr., and Carole L. Zimmer (nee Kleihauer) of Elmhurst; by his wife Paula J. Zimmer (nee Madden); by his children Audra Simone Zimmer, 14, and Cole Garrett Zimmer, 12; by a sister Catherine L. Myer (nee Zimmer), brother-in-law Jeffrey Myer, nephew Duncan Myer and niece Cassidy Myer; uncle Thomas M. Zimmer and aunt Lydia G. Zimmer (Goss); uncle Frederick Hopkins Kleihauer, uncle Christian Frederick Kleihauer (deceased) and aunt Sara Kleihauer (nee Frizzell). He was preceded in death by his grandparents Pastor and Lacy Kleihauer and Walter and Kay Zimmer. He is also survived by many cousins.
Jon was born at an Army base in New Jersey, then lived briefly in Chicago, and finally from age 3, grew up in Elmhurst where he attended Lincoln Elementary and Bryan Middle School. He is a 1980 graduate of York High School, where he was a wrestler and football player. Jon earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1984 from the School of Printing, College of Graphic Arts and Photography, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y. He is a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Xi Upsilon Chapter. He held offices of President, Sergeant at Arms and Pledge Master. Brothers and Little Sisters, he will miss you all at future reunions.
Jon had a successful printing sales career for 16 years, and enjoyed working alongside the art and graphic design communities. During that time, he had lived on both coasts and in the Midwest. In 1997, Jon married Paula at Howes Chapel, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston. They started their married life together in Chicago’s Norwood Park, the same neighborhood where Jon’s grandparents once lived.
In 2001, Jon earned an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, then began a new career in marketing, consulting and operations management. Shortly after, Jon and Paula welcomed their daughter Audra into the world. Jon’s Operations and General Manager roles relocated his family several times over the next nine years and during that time, son Cole was born to complete the family. Jon and family moved to Okemos in 2011, where for five years he has worked as Director of Operations at the Georgia-Pacific Corrugated Plant in Owosso.
He highly valued his relationships with friends and coworkers. If you were a friend of Jon’s, you were his friend for life. He loved his wife and children, extended family and TKE brotherhood family. Jon enjoyed working hard in business and education, having adventures like fishing in Canada, biking, woodworking, cooking, automobiles, music and surfing; andm he always wrote thank-you cards. The family is deeply saddened by Jon’s passing, but rejoice that he is no longer suffering.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, 125 W. Church Street, Elmhurst.
A college fund has been established specifically for the education of Jon and Paula’s children Audra and Cole. Donations can be mailed to: Jon W. Zimmer, Jr. Memorial Academic Fund, c/o UBS Financial Services, Inc., One North Wacker Drive, 37th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606.
The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, East Chapel.
On line condolences may be made greastlansing.com
