Lyle Zimmerman

Lyle Duane Zimmerman was born in Broken Bow, NE on January 24, 1955 to Duane and Berniece (Wrasse) Zimmerman at Broken Bow and was raised on his parents farm southwest of Ansley, Nebr. He passed away on Dec. 20, 2011 at the age of 56 yrs at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE. Lyle attended country schools at Cat Creek from K to 3rd grade and then at Round Hill from 4th through 8th grade. He graduated High School from Ansley Public Schools in Ansley, Neb in 1973. In 1971, Lyle suffered a brain injury from a car accident that changed his life. Life for him was not easy, yet he enjoyed life and made the best of it. In 1976, he married Charlene Carr and to that union a daughter, Cheryl, was born. The married ended in divorce. Then in 1980 he married Tracy Payne and to that union a son, Dustin, was born. That marriage also ended in divorce. Lyle lived most of his life with his parents on the family farm 13 miles southwest of Ansley in the Cumro Community. He moved to Broken Bow with his parents in 1983 when they decided to move to town. He would help his dad on the farm with farming and ranching as much as he was able to. In Sept 1997, Lyle moved to Holdrege and became a client with what is now Mosaic and has been there to present time. He enjoyed doing wood crafts at Mosaic’s Wood Shop, and lawn work that Mosaic provided services for people around Holdrege. He also enjoyed calling Bingo, playing cards, dancing and bowling. He made numerous friends in the Holdrege area and still had many friends in Custer County as well as family. And when the opportunity would allow him, he very much enjoyed watching his granddaughters play in their sports activities of softball, volleyball and basketball. He was so proud of all his grandchildren. When he talked about them, his face would just beam. He would carry photos of them in his wallet until they were faded. He also had his refrigerator plaster with photos of his grandchildren that his sister, Judy, would print off from emails or Facebook for Lyle to have that his children would send to Judy. Lyle could tell you stories of the past that most people could not recall. He also liked to make up stories from time to time, and some were pretty far fetched, although he made his stories interesting. Lyle was very close to his older sister, Judy, who was his guardian since before 2004. He loved it when she would take him places for fun or take him shopping in Kearney. He really enjoyed staying 3 to 4 days with Judy and husband, Duane, several times each year on the family farm. He is survived by his daughter, Cheryl (Rick) Kensell of Broken Bow; his son, Dustin (Stephanie) Zimmerman of Corpus Christi, TX. Grandchildren; Kyla, Leegha and Logan Kensell all of Broken Bow and Luke Zimmerman of Corpus Christi, TX. Sisters: Judy (Duane) Henry of Ansley, and Sheri (Wayne) Palmer of Mason City. Nieces; Michaelle Henry of Ault, CO and Crystal Nelson of Broken Bow: nephews; Kent (Michelle) Nelson of Anslemo, Jason (Tammy) Henry of Loveland, CO, Robert (Shay) Henry of Yukon, OK, Brad (Lona) Henry of Ft. Carson, CO, Tim (Renee) Henry of Boise, ID, Lynn (Jana) Henry of Ansley, and Cory (Angie) Palmer of Mason City. Other survivors include; Aunts & Uncles; Marilyn (Tom) Reigert and Larry Wrasse all of Lincoln, Delilah Zimmerman of Broken Bow, Carolyn Franks and Marolyn (Don) Thomas all of Westminster, CO, Dwayne (Vianne) Anderson of Kearney and Maxine Montanye of Broken Bow: 22 great nieces and nephews along with numerous cousins and his caring staff at Mosaic, plus many friends. He was preceded in death by his paternal and maternal grandparents, father in 1996, mother in 2004 and a brother, Randy, in 1986. Funeral services were held on Friday December 23, 2011 at Govier Bros. Mortuary in Broken Bow with Rev. Mark Stones officiating. Burial will be in the Broken Bow Cemetery at a later date. Memorials have been suggested to the Lyle Zimmerman Memorial Fund.