- Date Of Birth: October 15, 1920
- Date Of Death: March 25, 2012
- State: Idaho
Rudolf Zimmerman
October 15, 1920 – March 25, 2012
Rudolf Zimmerman (“Rudy”) passed away on March 25, 2012, at the age of 91. He was well loved, and will be deeply missed.
Rudy was born in a granary on October 15, 1920, to George G. Zimmerman and Alvina Finck Zimmerman in Hettinger, North Dakota. He and his two brothers, Leo and Fred, grew up on an isolated family farm. As a child of German-Russian Immigrants, German was Rudy’s first language. In fact, when he started first grade he knew only one sentence of English: “Good morning, Teacher, my name is Rudolf.” Remarkably, he learned English merely by attending class.
Rudy also met the love of his life in grammar school, Adeline Burnet Melling (“Addie”). Although Addie had no interest in boys at the time, Rudy predicted that they would marry one day. Years later, on June 2, 1943, they did. He and Addie would eventually have four children together: Bruce, Janet, Jane, and Brad.
As a young adult, Rudy took a job clerking for an attorney in town. His entire paycheck went to his parents to help support the farm. In addition, Rudy worked on the farm from the time he was a child until 1942 when he joined the United States Army to fight in World War II. He was fluent in German, so naturally the army sent him to Guadalcanal and Saipan, where he served in the Medical Corps.
Rudy and Addie were married in Montana while he was on leave, and when Rudy returned from the war, he and Addie settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There, he worked days for the federal government, attended the University of Minnesota at night, and worked at Sears on the weekends. While working for the Veteran’s Administration, Rudy and the family were transferred to Boise, Idaho in 1956. He was a committed advocate for our veterans until his retirement.
Retirement did not slow Rudy down.
Rudy was preceded in death by his parents and brothers; his daughter, Janet; his infant grandson, Jason; his son, Bruce; and his beloved Addie. He is survived by his daughter Jane (Sherman) Smith, his son, Brad Zimmerman, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Kady for providing such loving care of our dad over the last few years and Anna and her staff at Ashley Manor at Hyde Park for their kindness and support during his last months.
