Richard “Dick” Zimmerman, 84, of Russell, PA., died peacefully, Tuesday morning, November 26, 2024, at the John & Orpha Blair Hospice Home, Warren, PA, following a brief illness and a long and courageous battle with dementia. Dick was born November 16, 1940, in Battle Creek, MI. His family moved to Titusville in 1945. He was the son of Frank Porter and Ethel Mae Vaughan Zimmerman Bennett.
Dick has resided in the Warren area since 1967. He moved here after completed his training as an agent for All State Insurance Company and was then assigned to Sears, Roebuck and Co., Market Steet Plaza, Warren. His next job was at Northwest Savings. He started the final employment of his life at Blair Corporation in 1971, working his way up the ladder from salesman in the clothing store to the Payroll Department to the Vice President of Personnel. He worked for Blair Corp. for 26 years, retiring in 1997, at the age of 57, to pursue his love of hunting.
He was a graduate of Titusville High School Class of 1959.
Dick loved his country, and although drafted, he was very proud to be a soldier. He served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Fort Benning, GA from 1960 – 1962. He was honorably discharged as Rank Specialist 4 in firearms.
Dick gave over ten gallons of blood to the Red Cross throughout his lifetime. He learned to scuba dive at the YMCA and between 1990 – 1992, he went on dives, first in Chautauqua Lake, and then in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Grand Caymen, Bermuda, and Belize. Dick was known in town as “A Legend” when it came to hunting.
He was an excellent marksman. He enjoyed sporting clays and skeet shooting. He shot 250 straight several times, out shooting many other competitors.
Hunting was Dick’s passion! He absolutely loved turkey hunting and was well-known for his turkey hunting skills. He has a long string of spurs and beards to prove it. He shot his first turkey in 1956. In the early 1990s, Dick was accidentally shot in the face by a friend, mistaking him for a turkey. The doctor decided that a few BBs had to remain in his face due to possible nerve damage from extensive cutting. The hunting accident happened on Saturday, but that didn’t slow Dick down as he shot a turkey the following Monday. In 2001, he had twenty turkey tags between the states of Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania, and he harvested eleven out of twenty. He traveled to Argentina and Honduras for dove hunting, where in one day, he shot 1,990 shells! Dick also loved hunting big game. He hunted elk in Colorado, Idaho and New Mexico. It was Arizona where he bagged his biggest bull elk scoring 416”. He hunted whitetail deer in Mexico and caribou in Quebec. He hunted black bear in both Manitoba, and it was in Ontario, Canada, where he shot a 400 plus pound black bear with his compound bow. He hunted in Manitoba, Canada in 2002 with a muzzleloader, where he bagged a deer scoring 184” and in 2003, the deer scored 168”. He shot his biggest whitetail buck with archery equipment in 2005 in NY. It scored 130”.
Dick is survived by his best friend and the love of his life, Audrey Stone Zimmerman whom he met while archery hunting. She bagged a doe that morning with her compound bow, and Dick was very smitten, as they both shared a strong passion for hunting. They married December 31, 2010, in the living room of their home in Russell, PA. Dick is survived by 1 Daughter – Jodi Anderson and husband, Matt of Warren, PA., 1 Son – Todd Zimmerman and wife, Malena, of Englewood FL., 1 Brother – Bob Zimmerman of San Diego, CA.,
Grandchildren –Daniel Maeder (Nerissa) Tyler Maeder, Jacob Anderson, Sydney Anderson and Christopher Zimmerman. Great grandchildren, Owen and Brooks.
Dick loved and cherished his family, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed watching them play sports and was always present cheering them on from the sidelines. He was one to show up and pile one or all in for an impromptu trip to a skate park, to his pond to fish or just to grab some ice cream. He was proud of their accomplishments and always beamed with pride when speaking of them.
Dick was a good man, well respected, caring, loving, and kind. He will be greatly missed. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his father in 1986 and his mother in 2015.
Friends and family will be received on Friday, November 29, 2024, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. at the Donald E. Lewis Funeral Home, Inc., 304 East Street, Warren, PA. A Celebration of Dick’s life will be held soon, at a place, date and time to be announced. Those wishing to place memorials may do so through Hospice of Warren County, earmarked for John and Orpha Blair Hospice Home, 1 Main Avenue, Warren, PA. 16365 www.hospiceofwarrencounty.org or Hunt of a Lifetime, 2227 Eastern Avenue, Erie, PA. 16510 or www.info@huntofalifetime.org. E-mail condolences may be sent by visiting www.lewisfuneralhomeinc.com.