Dorothy June Zimbelman

1925 - 2020

Dorothy June Zimbelman died Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, at the age of 95 years and eight months at Grace Manor Care Center in Burlington.

She was born on March 15, 1925, at the family home in Towanda, Kan. to June and Helen Lehnherr.

She was welcomed into the family by older siblings Robert and Betty. A few years later, sister Barbara was born.

Dorothy attended school at Towanda until the family moved to Newton, Kan. when she was in the 10th grade.

She graduated from Newton High School in 1943 and worked at Boeing as a riveter aiding in the war effort.
At that time, the government would pay for nurses training in exchange for service in the armed forces.
Dorothy enrolled in nurses training at Halstead and finished the three-year program in 2 1/2 years becoming a registered nurse. By then, the war was over, and she didn't have to serve.

Needing a nurse for his practice, Dr. Haddon Peck from St. Francis, Kan. contacted Dorothy and offered her a job. She accepted and soon became his "right hand" gal.

Thinking she needed a boyfriend, a friend thought it would be a good idea to set her up on a blind date with one of the local boys. She decided to go, and the good-looking guy was Calvin Zimbelman.

Calvin had returned from the war, attended watch makers school in Denver and had opened a jewelry store in Bird City, Kan.

The date took them to Goodland, Kan. for dinner. Dorothy said she didn't know what to order so chose the roast beef dinner special which wasn't too expensive. Calvin promptly told her that she should have a steak. Dorothy said that was the best blind date she had ever had.

That date led to many more and a lasting friendship with good friends Pete and Wanda Gienger who stood up with them when they got married.

Calvin and Dorothy married on Dec. 27, 1953, in Colby, Kan. To this union two children were born: Jay Michael in 1956 and Kim Elaine in 1957.

In 1955, Calvin decided that moving the jewelry store to St. Francis would be a good idea and he opened on the north side of main street, just down the street from the competition.

In 1960, the family made the decision to relocate to Burlington and open the jewelry store there.
Dorothy got a job at the hospital and developed lasting friendships with many of her close co-workers one of which was Dora Knapp.

She later took a job with Dr. C. L. Ross as his head nurse and bookkeeper and worked for him until she retired in 1988.

At that time, she began doing the bookkeeping for the jewelry store and continued until granddaughter Jenna took over the store in 2007.

After moving to Burlington, Calvin and Dorothy joined a card club and bowling in their spare time. They loved to dance and travel with friends from St. Francis.

They also took many long road trips across the United States and took an Alaskan cruise with good friends, Gary and Judy Andrews.

They bought a speed boat in the 70s and kept the road hot going to the lake on the weekends.
Many Burlington kids enjoyed water skiing with the family. After sporting events, Jay and Kim's friends loved coming to the house for food and good times.

Dorothy and Grandma Lehnherr made ham and cheese sandwiches by the dozens to have in the freezer for them. Dorothy loved having the grandkids and some of their friends come for Kim's "Thursday" lunch times during school.

Dorothy was a member of the United Methodist Church in Burlington and attended The First Christian Church with her family in her later years.

She was a doting grandmother and loved spending time with grandkids Amy, Jonathan, Jenna and Jindy, attending as many of their activities as she could.

She enjoyed times spent with the great-grandkids when they came to visit her at The Legacy and Grace Manor.

Dorothy's hobbies included macramé, sewing, reading, watching television, bingo and playing solitaire on the computer. She logged close to 90,000 games on her laptop.

Dorothy went with Calvin to almost every DJ job they had and loved taking trips to Cripple Creek to play the slot machines where they did very well.

Calvin passed away in July of 2008 and Dorothy continued living in the home until her health declined to the point that she was unable to live alone.

In June of 2014, she moved to The Legacy. This was a tough time for her, as she lost her independence and had to learn to live in a different environment.

Her health continued to decline and after a short stay in the hospital in February of 2019, she moved to Grace Manor Care Center where she lived until her death.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Cal, her siblings Robert, Betty, and Barbara.

Those left to cherish her memories are her children; Jay (Carol) Zimbelman and Kim (Rick) Davis both of
Burlington, her grandchildren, Amy (Ash) Janssen of Greeley, Jenna (Ezra) Gutierrez of Burlington, Jonathan Davis of Plano, Texas, Jindy (Jason) Page of Timnath; great-grand-children Brittney Zimbelman, Bentley, Berkley, Bexley and Brinkley Janssen; her brother-in-law Charles Wallace of Pueblo.

Also surviving her are numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Due to COVID the family had a private family service on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Christian Church in Burlington with Pastor Dennis Cherrington officiating.

Burial followed in Fairview Cemetery in Burlington. There was no public visitation held.
Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church in Dorothy's memory and may be left at or sent to Bank of the West, 502 14th Street, P.O. Box 518, Burlington, CO 80807.

Friends may go to www.lovefuneralhomes.com to leave a message of condolence for the family and to sign their online register book.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Love Funeral Home, Burlington.