August 12, 2013. Predeceased by his parents, Carl R. Zimmerman Elizabeth Wood, Survived by his wife, Diane M. (Mannillo); children, Richard J. (Stephanie) Zimmerman II, Sara (Jason) Collett, Melissa (David Gates Jr) Zimmerman; grandchildren, Leah Zimmerman, Blake, Collett Ethan Zimmerman; brothers, Gary (Trish) Zimmerman, Chuck (Donella) Zimmerman; brother-in-law, Gary (Susan) Mannillo; sister-in-law, Anne Gross; several nieces nephews. Rick's visitation will be 4-8 PM on Wednesday at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane (between 390 Long Pond Rd). His funeral service will be at 10 AM on Friday at Zion Fellowship Church, 5188 Bristol Rd, Canandaigua. Interment Woodlawn Cemetery. Please omit flowers. Richard John Zimmerman was born to Carl R Elizabeth L. (Betty) on January 20, 1950 at Highland Hospital, Rochester, NY and grew up on Maiden Lane where he lived with his siblings, Gary Charles (Chuck) until enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1968. Carl worked for Eastman Kodak until his retirement in 1970. His hobbies included history, science, horror movies, a good meal, the color blue, and reading any book where he could gain insight and knowledge His mom, Betty, came from a large family and Richard spent many summers working on family farms bailing hay, milking cows and various chores. He loved hard work and the close bonds that were forged with his aunts, uncles and cousins. For a time he also worked nights during the school year at Ragu. He worked for Tom McGuire as a tree surgeon trimming around power lines for RGE. In 1967 Richard started working at Carroll's on Ridge Road W. where he met Gary Mannillo, who became his best buddy. Gary asked Richard to come home one day in October to fix his dad's BB gun that he had broken. On that visit Richard met Diane. Richard shared his love of hunting and knowledge about camping with Gary. They took many hunting trips down by his Uncle Buddy's cabin; Gary accompanied the Zimmermans to their camp at Jones' Pond where several his Mom's siblings also camped at times. Diane even got invited by "Mom" Zimmerman to hang out too. (Since the boys were always together, each one called the other's parents Mom and Dad). Diane loved being included. Richard would often linger around the Mannillo's to chat with Diane before the boys headed out for the evening, but it was one of those "kid" sister kind of friendships. In the spring of 1968, Diane had her Junior Prom coming up and suddenly it occurred to her that she really only wanted to go with Rick (it was 8 yrs before Richard told her he preferred Rich or Richard - but Rick is what Gary called him). So Diane asked him to take her and he said "sure". Convinced that Rick only said yes because it was his best friend's sister, she didn't take it as any indication that he was interested in dating. After the prom on May 10th, Diane knew he was "the one", but Richard didn't ask her out. He had also announced that he had enlisted in the Navy that May, not wanting to wait to be drafted. He was leaving in September for basic training. Through the summer he would often stop by to see Diane at her job where she worked in the candy, china records departments at Edwards in Greece, but still he didn't ask her out. Puzzled about the whole situation, Diane sent up a few hundred prayers up to heaven, but then decided it was totally up to God and she would just have to "wait and see". September came and Rick was going off to war and Gary was going off to college in Connecticut. So Rick went with the Mannillo's to drop Gary off at school, but still no opportunity to talk. Only 2 weeks until Richard was leaving. Gary hadn't contacted his Mom since he was dropped off at school, so on September 13th, Diane decided to call just to check to see if he had called Rick. The one minute conversation stretched out to an hour and a half and suddenly Rick said, "Hey, what are you doing tonight - want to go to a movie?" Diane (very calmly) said, "Sure". So that was their second "first date". Nearly every night before Rick left, he would show up at Edwards or the Mannillo home and they would go out to the drive-in or grab a bite to eat. Gary came home to surprise Rick the last Friday evening before Rick was leaving so they could hang out one last time, but instead he discovered that his little sister had stole him away. Gary was sitting in the rocking chair "smoking"...not just the pipe but it was coming out of his ears when they returned home that evening. Guess the reason Rick didn't ask Diane out sooner was because Gary was not happy about his best friend dating his sister...(the truth came out a couple of years later). He came home on leave at Thanksgiving before heading out to meet his ship, Diane was invited to the family Thanksgiving dinner. Things were definitely changing. December 10th, Rick left to meet the Ranger. He was an airman and worked on the flight deck crew when he was first assigned to the carrier, but quickly they recognized that he had leadership potential and moved him into an intelligence unit where he then worked as a Photo Interpreter. He had his own "vault" so it soon became the spot where some fellow crew members would gather to play cards on their off duty hours. It was said that sometimes contraband would show up... In the next 5 months, Diane wrote to Rick faithfully every day, at times two or three letters a day, dozens and dozens of "thinking of you across the miles" cards (Hallmark stock shot up that year), and "CC with CCC's" care packages (Canadian Club [contraband?] and chocolate chip cookies). He said the guys on board the Ranger were jealous when mail arrived on the ship (about once a week) because he got most of it, but he always shared the "goodies". He had a pet duck named "Eagle" that was found with a wounded wing and nursed it back to health...unfortunately, Eagle became ill later in the cruise and had to have a burial at sea. Letters home came sporadically because when they were in the "zone" and flying missions off the ship, mail didn't go out. Diane again had to learn a lot of patience. The following May (1969) Diane received a surprise package in the mail, it was a box of Noritake fine china, the next package came a few days later - a set of everyday silverware...think Rick was really getting serious? He returned from his first cruise to Nam the night before Diane graduated from Cardinal Mooney...he had been gone virtually her whole senior year. That summer they talked about their plans to marry, have children (maybe 5), where they would live (in the country, small farm, some chickens horses)...God had answered Diane's prayers. Second cruise to Nam--1969-1970. Since the ship was docked in San Diego, the only time Rick could see Diane was during his annual 3 weeks leave - so from July til the following June, it was only letters and cards, cookies and "CC". Rick decided it was too long a wait (no cell phones, no email, no FB, no Skype) so in January 1970 he arranged to call home from Japan - everyone took a minute to say "hi" and Diane got the other 5 minutes. It was a long wait til June but Rick made it clear in his letters that he was coming home with a ring. Their time together while he was on leave wasn't all quiet time together, little sister Anne accompanied them or could be seen peaking around the corner to watch them kiss. Chuck even accompanied them once...only once. He was only 3 years younger than Diane and was a tease! When the ship docked on June 1st, 1970, he literally jumped to the dock and ran to catch a cab for the airport. He showed her the ring that night but snapped the box shut after showing it to her and said, "Now I have to ask your Dad". It took four more days before he found the right time to ask and after getting permission, he then said he had to ask her Mom - luckily that only took a few hours. So on June 5th 1970 Rick asked Diane to marry him...only 2 years, 26 days after their first "first date". Diane's dad only restriction was that they wouldn't marry until he was stateside permanently. So the date was set for July 15th 1972....4 years, 2 months and 5 days after their first "first date". That was patience...but it was worth it. October, 1971 Diane got a puppy because she knew that when she moved to Virginia after they were married she might be home alone some evenings while Rick was on duty so she would need a guardian. Pumpkin was to be their first pet and surprisingly she looked an awful lot like Rick's dog Pudgie from when he was little. July 15th 1972, wedding bells rang. God's presence was there in that church that day. After a brief rainfall as Diane walked down the aisle, suddenly as they began to recite their vows, the sun broke out and cascaded them in sunlight and the birds could be heard singing in the bell tower...the whole church made a sigh when it happened. Another sign from heaven that God had blessed them. Rick surprised her again; he never disclosed where they would be going until they were on the road, a two-week honeymoon traveling to Colorado. He had been stationed at Lowry AFB for a special school the previous year and he wanted Diane to see it too. They saw everything between NY Colorado. Mammoth Cave in KY, treeless Kansas, the bridge over the Mississippi at St. Louis, Estes Park, Aspen, Vail, Colorado Springs and Pike's Peak (Diane's car barely made it up the steep climb but what a view!) Diane could see why Rick loved it there. Diane and Rick lived in Virginia Beach, VA their first year of marriage. Being 700 miles from home builds a strong marriage because you have to depend fully on one another. When the typical "getting to really know you" disagreements occurred, there was nowhere to go - Diane could be found sitting on the steps of the apartment building talking to God asking for some wisdom. Two type A personalities! The newlyweds formed a close friendship with next door neighbors, Donna and Mike. They were newlyweds, too. So they spent most evenings hanging out together to play bridge, euchre or going to the movies. Donna was a "local", so her family adopted them and they enjoyed many wonderful times together, including their 1st wedding anniversary. Rick invited everyone back to the apartment where he cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs bacon for about 15 people at 4:00 a.m. He was in his element! The spring/summer of 1973, the POWs were coming home. The senior POW officer, Commander Denton attended the little church on base a few weeks after his return ... Diane had attended services there every Sunday. The cars flooded the base that Sunday...the impact of Viet Nam on the military community was strongly felt. The war, though now over, was a reality in a new way. Rick was discharged in August, 1973; where would they live? Rick wanted to go to Colorado and Diane wanted to stay in Virginia. But Colorado was so far from family and Rick just wanted to get away from the military after serving 5 yrs of active duty. He would have to serve one year in the reserves when he got out. So they headed back to NY, they had to agree to disagree and that was the only compromise. Richard enrolled in classes at MCC for the fall 1973 semester and Diane went back to work at Kodak. They lived in a cute apartment on McCall Road in Greece. They bought their first home in Greece and moved in on Labor Day weekend in 1974. It was a beautiful 2 ½ story home with one major drawback - it wasn't in the country and there wasn't any place for chickens or horses, but Rick didn't want Diane to have a long drive in to work every day. His degree in Criminal Justice was completed in December, 1974 and attended a semester at SUNY Brockport with thoughts about a degree in law. But he didn't enjoy the classes at Brockport and after 3 years of marriage, starting a family was on Diane's mind. So instead of continuing his education, Rick got a job at PPG Paints as Assistant Manager of their Rochester distribution center on Lake Avenue. A baby was on the way soon after! February, 1976, a beautiful son, Richard II was born, their bicentennial effort (). But in the summer of '76 thoughts of moving to Colorado was on Richard's mind again. So the house was put on the market and it sold rather quickly. They had planned to sell off most of their furniture, pack up a small trailer and head west. It was not meant to be though...delay after delay caused the closing on the house to be pushed back into December. Crossing the mountains in winter and venturing out suddenly became a big concern. Then suddenly Rick's dad Carl had a heart attack on December 8th, five days before his 62nd birthday. House closing a week after the funeral, a second baby now on the way and leaving Mom in her time of need - Colorado would have to wait. House was sold, had to move...so rented a townhouse apartment with plans to move the following year. But Diane was a bit more concerned about traveling with two babies, Diane wasn't so sure about leaving without a job waiting at the other end and besides, Richard got a promotion and became Manager of the distribution center. Daughter Sara Shilo was born in June, 1977. A daughter!! Big change for someone who grown up with 2 brothers! Before leaving the delivery room Rick said, "When we have the next girl, let's name her Melissa!" The nurse was incredulous! I just laughed! ...so March, 1979, Melissa Anne was born...three children in 3 years - life was busy and a 2 bedroom apartment just wasn't working out. October 10, 1980, a new home in Canandaigua - it was a dream come true - a house in the country - lots of farmland all around us. Maybe buy more land and have those chickens and horses. Lots of yard work, a vegetable garden, rhubarb, trees and sheep for neighbors...who could ask for anything more. Rick still worked for PPG, Diane was a stay-at-home Mom, sold Avon, sewed, baked cakes...anything to help augment the family income but still be at home. 1984 - PPG decided to close their distribution centers in all of NYS. Out of a job but a small severance package gave Richard time to decide what to do next. He tried a machine shop in Marion; the owners were two brothers, he quickly became the benchmark. But that wasn't the right choice for a career for Rick. The job meant he had to work evenings; Diane took on a part time job for Ryan Homes at the lumber yard - they shared a vehicle and passed each other in the driveway. Not the way to raise a family and have a home life. On October 31, 1985, Richard called me from work and told me he was going to quit but wanted to check with me first...so I said, "ok - we'll figure it out and maybe we should think about Colorado again". He said, let's just wait and talk about it after the weekend. Friday, November 1st, 1985, a fire broke out in our home while we were visiting Rick's brother Chuck. We got home just in time to save the house...extensive smoke damage, some structural damage but it could be repaired and we had good insurance. Our dog Patches died from smoke inhalation and Colorado would again have to wait. Diane was thinking that maybe they were supposed to just stay put. Ryan Homes gave Diane a full time position and they managed. Rick played "Mr. Mom" with the three children and even took over the babysitting job. A friend encouraged him to take some civil service exams - so he did, one for the post office and one for Ontario County. The offer of a rural route delivering mail didn't sound like a good fit for someone who really didn't like the heat - so he turned it down and waited for something else. In the summer of 1987, Richard took a position as a Support Investigator for the Ontario County Child Support office. Diane was still working full time at Ryan Homes, but there wasn't any room to grow in the job so she also took a civil service exam and in June of 1988, became a county employee too. Now they worked in the same building - shared a ride and had lunch together every day. The next years were busy with the children, school functions, sports...it was great the schools were right out the back door of the office building so teacher's conferences were easy to get to. The children were growing and getting into sports. The house was always full of friends coming and going - at times, some moved in and stayed for weeks or months because they had trouble at home. There wasn't a lot of money for vacations but a special weekend trip to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine was so memorable for the children. Richard took them to collect star fish, shells and horseshoe crab shells while the tide was out (and Diane stood above yelling to come back up before the water started crashing in). The Adirondack museum, picnics on the dock at Canandaigua Lake sitting in our van eating KFC, drives down every back country road between Canandaigua and Pennsylvania. Collecting and studying leaves, critters and snakes. There were tropical fish, fresh water fish, a 4 foot monitor lizard named Monty, a guinea pig, hamsters, mice, cats, and many loved dogs from Pumpkin to Max Mindy to Patches to Sandy to Nicky to Alex to Jasmine to Alina. Even though Alina is Melissa's dog, she was most beloved of all. Rich was going off to college in 1994 and Rick finally agreed that I should go back to school to complete my B.S. - he said statistics showed that women outlived men and he didn't want to worry that I wouldn't be able to earn enough to support myself. So in May, 1994 I was accepted at R.I.T. and Rich, our son, was off to SUNY New Paltz. Another year of turmoil...Rick's Mom was very ill and my Dad was too. Frequent trips to New Paltz to visit Rich, picking him up at the end of the semester and back at the beginning of the next. Rich needed a car so he could work off campus. Rick found one and he drove it down to him and took a bus back so I could stay home and work on final exams. The girls both played volleyball so we were constant attendants at all the games. We became friends with several other parents and we all decided that we enjoyed each other's company so much that we wanted to get together during the off season. So monthly euchre parties rotating from house-to-house, visit to Niagara on the Lake to see a play, trip to Connecticut to see a play, view the tall ships, train ride from Utica to Old Forge to see the color...it seemed like we had more time for us. Sara graduated from Canandaigua Academy in June, 1995, Rick's mom Betty passed away in July. Sara was off to Keuka College in September. My dad passed away in January 1996. Sara had met Jason when she was 15 and he was off to the Navy and assigned to the Enterprise, sounded like history repeating itself. The most memorable moment was when they drove Sara to Virginia to meet Jason's ship returning at Christmas from their tour overseas. Diane was never able to greet Rick's ship all those years ago, so this was a very special moment as they stood on the deck of another carrier as the Enterprise pulled up to the dock and they viewed all the sailors on deck...what a moment that was! Diane was still attending R.I.T. and working for the county. Melissa was still in high school. Rich was attending New Paltz. Things seemed to find a rhythm...volleyball games farther away now because Sara was in college. In 1998 our first grandchild Leah was born...didn't know how much better being a Papa and Nana could be than being a Mom and Dad! You can spoil a grandchild in ways you couldn't with your own child. Diane finally graduated from R.I.T. in the summer of 1998 (with highest honors), but the honors went to Richard because he was the wind beneath her wings. He was the encourager when she was feeling overwhelmed, he used to laugh and say "oh good, she's crying, that means an "A". He beamed the brightest the day Diane walked across the platform to accept her degree. 1999 Rich graduated from New Paltz, in 2000 Sara married Jason and our granddaughter Blake was born in June, 2002, part of the 9/11 baby boom. Thankfully, our son Rich was not in NYC on that fateful day on 9/11 - he had come home to attend the masters program at R.I.T. only 4 days before. Was the war coming to our country and endangering their family? After R.I.T., our son Rich moved to Brooklyn and Diane got her first cell phone so she could be in touch. 2003 was a difficult year, cancer struck but it was containable and treatable. Over the next several years there were more surgeries and treatments and always the cancer was back. In 2005, Richard retired because of the stress of the disease and treatments. Somehow God always got us through the changes and Richard was well enough to even work part time delivering medicines for a pharmacy to customers and nursing homes. The regular customers always ordered the meds on the days that Richard would be working. Rick always took time to chat and helped to dispel some of the loneliness in their lives. Always smiling, he knew what customer service was about and he was serving the Lord. Richard was wearying of the battle and in February, 2012 the news was all bad. After a year and half of treatments, they were no longer working and he decided that it was time to stop the fight. The 8 years of his retirement were not wasted though. He had spent hours keeping up with legislation, what was going on in the world, listening to many different talk shows. He faxed, emailed and called in to senators and congressmen and local legislators to voice his opinion and posted important issues regarding our Constitutional Rights and encouraged others to do the same. He contacted Glenn Beck, Rabbi Lapin and Rush Limbaugh's shows. On notification of Richard's passing, Rabbi Lapin responded this message, "I got to know him within the limits of radio and email and felt him to be a wonderful man of warmth, authenticity and insight. I plan to remember him during next Sunday's broadcast." He was always reading, discussing or sharing about politics, science, history or physics. Richard could hold a conversation with a rocket scientist on space and propulsion, a farmer on animal husbandry or sharing about the Lord with a homeless man at the Open Door Mission. He was a man that loved God, his family and his country...in that order of importance. He was hard working, devoted, loyal and giving. He wasn't perfect, but no one is...but he loved and was loved. The last few weeks were a testimony of how he was so well regarded by everyone he met. He always said that he didn't like talking in front of people but he never shied away from a good debate! He loved to take time to explain how things worked and to instill in young people that they needed to learn history because it always repeated itself. In the last year or two he reconnected across the miles with several ship mates and it made him so happy to recall the days they shared out at sea. God answered many prayers this past year, even though healing didn't come in a physical way for Richard, it came in many other ways. Our family has grown closer and I think each of us that have been touched in a special way by all of this. He was so happy when our son purchased a car so he could come home to visit with his family more often. He was "bust your buttons" proud of each of our children even though he probably never said it to them, but he would tell it to anyone that he spoke to and you heard it in his voice. Despite the gruff exterior, he was all softie inside. He will be so missed by so many...our sadness is that our time here with him is over, but we have the hope and promise of when we will again be together because we know who our God is.