Dr. Francis J. Zimmermann, 80, formerly of Easton, died on Thursday, February 3, 2005 at Kirkland Village in Bethlehem, PA. Born April 21, 1924, in Jersey City, NJ, he was a son of the late William H. and Philomena Krysa Zimmermann. Frank's college education was interrupted by WWII; he enlisted in the Army and achieved the rank of TEC/4 Sgt., serving as a medical corpsman on a repair ship in the Pacific theater until the war ended. He earned a B.E. from Yale University as a member of the class of 1945W, plus M.S and Sc.D. degrees from M.I.T. in 1952, with membership in the engineering honor societies Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Phi, and Pi Tau Sigma. He began his professional career as a cryogenics engineer with the consulting firm of Arthur D. Little before returning to academia as a member of the engineering faculty at Yale. In 1962 he joined the faculty of Lafayette College, where he remained until his retirement in 1986 as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering. In addition he worked as a cryogenics consultant to Air Products and Chemicals Inc. during his tenure at Lafayette. He was an active supporter of the arts in the Lehigh Valley, serving on the boards of the Bethlehem Chamber Society and the Lenape Chamber Ensemble. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Margaret Stephens Zimmermann of Bethlehem; brother Robert E. Zimmermann of South Haven, Michigan and Naples, Florida; son Stephen R. Zimmermann of Longmont, Colorado; daughter Marcy Jean Zimmermann Boelli of Bethlehem; and five grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in the auditorium at Kirkland Village on Saturday, February 12 at 12:30pm; interment will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Photo taken at Kirkland Village, August 2004