John Arthur Zimmerman

1934 - 2020

John Arthur Zimmerman

Corpus Christi - John Arthur Zimmerman, age 85, passed away at home on January 1, 2020. John was born in Cuero, Texas on January 13, 1934.

He attended Cuero High School where he played football, basketball, baseball and tennis. While at Cuero High School, John won a state singles championship and graduated as valedictorian. John went on to attend Rice University, where he played both tennis and football. He was the 26th winner of the Rice University Bob Quinn Award.

After graduating from Rice and before entering the United States Marine Corps, John married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Joyce Towery.

After his service in the Marine Corps, John and Joyce eventually settled in Corpus Christi, where they raised three daughters.

John began his career employed as a CPA for various companies. In his later years, John was a realtor with Coldwell Banker in Port Aransas, Texas.

John gave tirelessly of his time volunteering for the sport of tennis and his beloved church, St. John's Methodist Church. John served in many capacities at St. John's Methodist Church, always with a smile on his face.

His main passion in life was tennis, from being an avid player to serving as a willing and enthusiastic volunteer for the CCTA and for USTA Texas. He served as a president of both organizations and remained an active member and ambassador for the sport of tennis throughout his life. John was inducted into the Cuero Gobbler Hall of Fame in 2008 and in 2017, he was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame.

John will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Some of his most admirable qualities include his compassion for others, his patience, his love of life, his dedication to his career, and his eternal optimism. He took great pride in seeing three generations of CPAs in his family through his daughter, Jan, and his grandsons, Sean and Jake. He also enjoyed watching four generations continue to play tennis. His love of life was evidenced by numerous fun family vacations that he planned and organized for his children and grandchildren, as well as the annual 4th of July Celebration in Rockport, (his happy place), that he supervised for over 50 years.

John is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Joyce Zimmerman; their cherished daughters, Elizabeth Kucera (Scott), Jan Simmons (Jon), and Joy Wunderlick (Tom); their beloved grandchildren, Kimberly Hood (Ben), Katie Bielski (Greg), Sean Simmons (Morgan), Jake Simmons, Carley Simmons, Sarah Wunderlick, Tommy Wunderlick, and John Wunderlick; and their great-grandchildren, Brooke and Lincoln Bielski and Shirley Hood. He is also survived by his dear sister, Charlotte Busch (Paul).

The family wishes to extend their sincere thanks for the kind and compassionate care provided to John by Angel Bright Hospice and River City Home Care which enabled him to spend his final weeks in his own home.

The Memorial Service will be held at St. John's United Methodist Church on January 4 at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John's United Methodist Church or the Corpus Christi Tennis Association.