Samuel Ray Zimmerman's Obituary
Samuel Ray Zimmerman, 100, completed his earthly journey on August 18, 2025. A celebration of life will be held in Kansas at a later date. Ray’s long-time goal was to reach the age of 100. Through sheer will and determination, as is typical of the “Greatest Generation”, he achieved this final goal.
Ray was born on June 9, 1925 on the family farm north of McCune, Kansas to Samuel Grant Zimmerman and Eulalia Amos Zimmerman. He grew up during the Great Depression and early on learned the values of hard work and self-reliance. He attended a rural one room school and then graduated from McCune High School. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was sent to fight in the Pacific during World War II. He was wounded in action on Okinawa and was awarded the Purple Heart. After recovering from his wounds, he was sent to China as part of the occupying forces. Quite a lot of adventure for a farm boy from Kansas!
After discharge from the Marines he graduated from Kansas State University and married Elizabeth (Betty) McGown in 1952. They lived for many years in the Kansas City area and became life-long Kansas City Chiefs fans. After moving to Clinton, Iowa, Ray was a district manager at Hawkeye Chemical until retirement. Ray loved to laugh and make others laugh and took joy from many things – family time, music, traveling and watching sports, especially the KC Chiefs. However, his greatest passion was golf. He was a member of Fulton Country Club, where he made two holes-in-one over his years of golfing there with his special group of friends.
Ray is survived by his children, David and Anne, two sisters-in-law, Patty Mustard and Marietta Munding, many beloved nephews and nieces, and a special foreign exchange daughter, Dr. Ruzica Servais of France.
He was preceded in death by his wife in 2018, his parents, a brother, Luther Zimmerman, and three sisters-in-law.
Ray was always proud to have served his country during World War II and was privileged to go on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., which was a wonderful experience. Memorials can be made to Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.
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