Madeline Zimmerman Obituary (1944 - 2025) - College Place, Washington

Madeline Mary Zimmerman, born in May of 1944, in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, USA, passed away at the age of 81 of natural causes on November 24, 2025. Madeline was preceded in death by her husband, Erwin, and is survived by her son Paul, daughter Susan, and her grandson, Ethan. Madeline grew up in the household of her parents, Frank and Emma, with her late brother, Francis (Frank), in Stafford Springs. She went on to attend college at Plymouth State University, graduating with a Bachelor's of Education degree in 1966, then going on to teach at the high school level. Madeline met her husband, Erwin (Gene), while he was serving in the U.S. Navy and stationed nearby. They married in the summer of 1968, and a few years later moved across the United States to Seattle, Washington. There, Madeline attended Seattle Pacific University, attaining a Master's Degree of Education in counseling in 1973. Madeline and Erwin then relocated to their permanent home in Bremerton, Washington, and soon after welcomed their two children into the world in the years that followed. During the four-plus decades that Madeline lived in Bremerton, she worked in the field of mental health, volunteering with the local Crisis Clinic for a number of years before being employed by related entities in the Kitsap County area. Madeline also briefly returned to public schooling as a substitute teacher. Madeline was a member of the Central Kitsap Presbyterian Church from their earliest days of gathering together, years before building the church that they occupy now. Madeline moved away from the Bremerton area in late 2016 and relocated to College Place, Washington to an assisted living residence near where her son, Paul, lived, and there spent her final years. Madeline's last wish was to be returned to Bremerton, Washington to her place of final rest, alongside her husband, in their common plot at the Forest Lawn Cemetery, in the town where most of her time on earth and where what was to her the most important parts of her life took place. Thanks to modern technology, this is more than just an obituary page. This is a dynamic memorial space that can be participated in by those who knew Madeline, where you can share your memories, in words as well as pictures. Please consider sharing your favorite memories of Madeline and uploading photos to the memorial page to help celebrate her life. One of Madeline's life-long hobbies was collecting photos in albums, so your additions here would be something she would have loved. In addition, please also consider making a donation in Madeline's memory to one or several of the organizations listed on this site, which were important to Madeline and the life that she lived.