Sept. 13, 1959—Jan. 5, 2022
RACINE—Bernd “Bernie” Fred Otto Zimmermann, age 62, passed away unexpectedly on January 5, 2022.
Bernie was born in Berlin, Germany on September 13, 1959. As a child, he immigrated to Racine with his parents in December 1963. He served in the United States Army from 1977 until 1982 in the 82nd Airborne Division. After his military service, Bernie became a citizen of the United States on August 12, 1981, one of the proudest moments of his life. He continued to serve communities by volunteering as a firefighter in the Town of Somers and providing humanitarian aide in Guatemala. He was employed as the Lead Meter Service Testing and Inspection Manager at WE Energies for 42 years, retiring this past September of 2021. Even in retirement, he would readily share his knowledge with former coworkers whenever needed.
Bernie loved: traveling, golfing, watching sports (especially the Green Bay Packers), eating cuisine from around the world, playing games, spending time with family and friends, and most of all, being a dad. We will miss his dry humor, warm laugh, kind heart, and breathtaking hugs.
Bernie is lovingly remembered by his daughter, Kendal Zimmermann; father, Robert Kowalski; siblings: Debbie Schultz of Waldorf, MD, Andreas (Iris) Zimmermann, Ralf Zimmermann, Mark Zimmermann, and Janina Zimmermann of Berlin, Germany; two aunts and one uncle: Elke Tarver and Marianne (Gerhard) Scherfer; and numerous other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Rosita Doris (nee Schuster) Kowalski on December 16, 2021.
An open mic celebration of Bernie’s life will be held at the Wilson Funeral Home on Monday, January 10, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. Visitation will begin at 4:00 p.m. A private interment with full military honors will be at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Please share your memories and condolences at www.wilsonfuneralhomeinc.com.
An extra special thank you to the good Samaritan who rendered aide to our beloved Bernie.
Wilson Funeral Home
1212 Lathrop Avenue
Racine, WI 53405
262-634-3361
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