Robert Joseph Zimlich

Robert Joseph "Zim" Zimlich
April 30, 1933-August 1, 2024
Following a knock-down, drag-out bout with cancer, Zim joined his parents, Cornelia and Albert Zimlich, in Heaven, along with sister Dorothy and her husband Ed Kruger, brother Richard and his wife Pat Zimlich, in-laws Catherine and Sylvester Lankswert, brother-in-law Carl Fust and sister-in-law Mary Jo Cohen.
Left to celebrate his beautiful spirit is his wife of 68 years, Patricia (Patsy), along with children Deb Lawson (Bruce), Tom Zimlich (Jill Krueger), David Zimlich (Marcella), Leigh Anne Teakle (Mark) and Rob Zimlich (Ann); 11 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. Zim also leaves his brother Bert and sister-in-law Estelle Zimlich, as well as sister-in-law Carol Fust and brothers-in-law Bob Lankswert (Joy), Bill Lankswert (Suenna), and Alan Cohen.
Zim lived his life in service to others and expected nothing in return. He and Patsy made sacrifices throughout their life to put their kids through Catholic school. For years, they opened their home to various relatives who needed a place to live. And it was perfectly normal for his family to eat dinner without him because he was at a neighbor's house helping to fix a backed-up drain or installing a washing machine. Later in life, Zim tenderly served as caregiver for Patsy through her illness.
Zim graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1951. He made $20 a week delivering newspapers morning and afternoon and used the money to pay his way through Bellarmine College where he earned a degree in chemistry as part of the school's second graduating class.
In 1955, following graduation, he married sweetheart Patsy (who caught his eye three years earlier), landed his first job, and was drafted into the Army. After serving as a medic in Germany, he worked as a chemist for years, retiring from Louisville Water Company where he was honored to have had a hand in making the country's finest-tasting H2O.
In 2002, Zim and Patsy moved to Flagler Beach, FL. It was there that he embarked on another career as a licensed condo association manager where they lived and made lifelong friends. He said the position kept him young, and he retired for the second time at age 88.
As a fiercely stubborn and independent man, Zim relished the way his close-knit clan rallied around him and Patsy for the two years following his diagnosis. He would want to publicly thank both Amandas and Amy from Hosparus Health, Dr. Joseph Maly and Dr. Brian Stoll from Norton Cancer Institute, Dr. Mohammed Said from UofL Health, Riggs Lewis from Norton Healthcare, and his friends at The Aliki who assisted him in the early days of his diagnosis.
Zim will be remembered for his easy smile, his handwritten notes to family and friends, cheering on the Bellarmine Knights' basketball team (where he was official scorekeeper for years), his love of ice cream and grocery shopping, and his ability to tackle tougher-than-nails crossword puzzles. Today, we fully expect him to be playing a perfect round of golf with his buddies who have gone before him.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Gathering Strength (https://gatheringstrength.org/donate/). This organization was founded by Zim's niece, Elizabeth Fust, and supports people with spinal cord injuries and other disabling conditions.