Obituary of Marlene Zimmermann

Marlene Elly Zimmermann was born in 1936 at the home of her grandmother in West New York, New Jersey. During a time of baby mixups at hospitals and baby-snatching worries, her family was intent on having her born safely under their watch. 

The first child of her German immigrant parents, Marlene grew up in Queens, New York in Ridgewood and graduated from Bushwick High School in Brooklyn. 

After high school, Marlene worked on Wall Street at the Hanover Bank in a secretarial position.

Marlene married the love of her life, Paul Zimmermann, and they had 3 children together. She stopped working to raise her family and was also a caregiver in her home to her widowed mother and her grandfather over several years for the remainder of both their lives. She returned to work in the mid 1980’s in a clerical position at General Accident Insurance, where she was employed until her retirement in 1992. 

Marlene and Paul moved from Queens to Long Island in the early 1960’s, where they spent many years in their home in Plainview, New York before ultimately moving to Viera, Florida in 2003 to enjoy their golden years. They were married for 53 years when Paul died in 2012. 

Marlene stayed in the house where she and Paul lived for several years after his death before moving in with her daughter, Elly Hernandez, son-in-law Jose Hernandez, and their sons for the last of her 5 years. 

Marlene loved being close to her family, especially her grandchildren, Justin and Hans Hernandez. She enjoyed attending their school and extracurricular events whenever possible throughout the last 20 years. Whether it was a soccer game, a concert or an award ceremony — she was excited to be a part of their lives and proud to share in their special moments. 

At an early age, Marlene was smitten with traveling. Her parents took her on Trans-Atlantic steamships to visit relatives in Germany, as well as family gatherings at vacation homes at Lake Erskine, New Jersey and Eastern Long Island throughout her childhood. As an adult, Marlene also took many wonderful trips with her husband and family. Her travels included trips to Germany, Brazil, Guadeloupe and their favorite, Hawaii, twice. After Paul’s passing, she continued to travel with her family, visiting the mountains of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee often, as well as cruising to the Caribbean and spending time on the West coast beaches of Florida. Marlene vacationed in a beach cottage, her last trip, just months before her passing. 

She is preceded in death by her grandson, Nathaniel Grant Hernandez, and her brother Werner Max Schneider. 

Just as she was born 87 years ago in the safe haven of her family’s house, Marlene died peacefully and comfortably at home, surrounded by her loved ones and the hospice team of St. Francis, who were lovingly caring for her. 

 

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