Patricia Ann "Zimdar" Zima

On September 21, 2025, Patricia A. Zima passed peacefully from medical complications. Patricia will always be remembered as a very considerate and generous individual who would go out of her way to lend a helping hand when needed. She appreciated the simplicity of life and those who shared that inspiration. Patricia was a long-time resident of Garland, Texas.

Patricia was preceded in death by her husband, Rodney G. Zimdar; her sister, Cynthia Zima; and her parents, Ann and Bill Zima. She was born and raised in New Galilee, PA, on April 15, 1954, where she attended Darlington Elementary School and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1972. Patty is survived by her brother-in-law, Dean Zimdar (Gloria), several nieces and nephews from Ripon, Wisconsin, and several cousins from Pennsylvania.

Patricia graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Iowa. While working in the industry, Patricia spent a few years teaching overseas. Upon returning from her overseas adventure, Patricia settled in Garland, Texas, with her husband of over 30 years and taught school.

Patricia was a retired English teacher from Seagoville High School, where she worked for almost 20 years. Patricia dedicated most of her time to ensuring that her students were continuously performing at their peak capacity. She relished in the accomplishments of her students and in their self-realization of their own potential. She genuinely embraced the cultural differences of the populations she taught and modeled those behaviors every day within the classroom and with the school administration. She was a strong advocate for her students and genuinely made a difference in their lives and the lives she touched throughout her career.

Patricia will always be remembered for her flair for fashion and impeccable taste for accessories. She always looked like a model who just stepped off the runway, ensuring that her makeup was fresh, hair groomed, and nails polished.

In lieu of flowers, Patricia requested that donations be made to the Animal Allies of Texas:

Animal Allies of Texas

In honor of Patricia's life, her family and friends leave you with the following poem:

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side,

spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts

for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck

of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"

Gone Where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,

hull and spar as she was when she left my side.

And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me – not her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, There, she is gone,"

there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices

ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying …

Death comes in its own time, in its own way.

Death is as unique as the individual experiencing it.