Dany Thornycroft Zimmerman
Dany Thornycroft Zimmerman
Dan Thornycroft Zimmerman, 26, died February 2, 2014. He was born December 10, 1987, the son of Jeff and Ann (Thornycroft) Zimmerman. Dan was studying welding at Lake Michigan College and was a cook at RyeBelles in St. Joseph.
Dan had a strong desire to help people. Some of the happiest times of his life were spent as a rock climbing instructor at Camp Gerber Boy Scout Camp in Twin Lakes, Michigan. Dan was an avid runner. He ran on the cross country team while at St. Joseph High School. He completed the Cleveland Marathon in 2012. Dan was also a rock climber and hiker. He was proud of hiking and climbing Half-Dome Peak in Yosemite National Park. He earned his Rescue Diver Certification and was pursuing Dive Master Accreditation. He loved traveling yearly on the family “Z Tours.”
Dan has a large and loving family including his parents, a sister Michelle Barber Burgess and brother-in-law Brian Burgess and a nephew Jack Burgess; his grandmother Winifred Zimmerman and grandparents Al & Ellen Thornycroft. Other family members are aunts and uncles Ken Zimmerman, Matt & Marijo Zimmerman, Phil & Morelba Mambie Zimmerman, Tim Zimmerman and Amy Gillespie, Tom Thornycroft, Nancy & Scott Marutz and Paul & Wendy Thornycroft. He loved his cousins Maddie and Taylor Zimmerman; Max, Eliott and Quinn Zimmerman, Allen Zimmerman-Mambie; Diana Giraldo and Cristian Baraja; Christopher & Isadora Thornycroft, Sophia, Alexandria and Nick Thornycroft and Alex Thornycroft and aunts Mary Beth Sanborn and Norma Clark.
Dan was preceded in death by his grandmother Alice Thornycroft, his grandfather Jack Zimmerman and his aunt Jane (Thornycroft) Skoglund.
A celebration of Dan’s life will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 11 am at the First Congregational Church in St. Joseph. Visitation will take place on Friday, February 7, 2014 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Starks & Menchinger Chapel & Cremation Services, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, MI. Dan will be laid to rest in the Memorial Garden behind the church immediately after the service. Those wishing to sign Dan’s guestbook may do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com.
Those who wish to honor Dan may donate to a charity that was important to Dan. It is “To Write Love on Her Arms.” This organization’s mission is to help people with mental health issues and suicide prevention. The address is TWLOHA, P.O. Box 2203, Melbourne, FL 32902
Dan was a person with a large heart and a gentle soul. We treasure the time he was with us. He was greatly loved and will truly be missed.