Obituary of Ruth Emily Zimmerman

Ruth passed away at the age of 98. She was deeply loved by all and had many friendships over the years. She was the daughter of Rev. Gustave Schmelzer and Henrietta Bodamer. She and her siblings -- Gertrude, Oswald, Theophil, Walter and Gerhardt-- grew up in Sebewaing, Mi. Rev. Schmelzer had accepted a call as pastor to New Salem Lutheran Church. While in Sebewaing, she was a dental assistant for Dr. Harold Burke, DDS. It was there that she met John Zimmerman, a Detroit Police Officer and brother in law of Dr. Burke. Subsequently, a courtship developed and they were married. They moved to Detroit where Ruth was a homemaker. They had two children, John and Gretchen. In 1968, after retirement from the Police Department, John passed away. Ruth subsequently moved to Harper Woods. John and Gretchen had three grandchildren to Ruth. They were Julie, Jennifer and Stephanie. Great grand children to Ruth were Zachary, Ava, and Addison. In later years, Ruth was in and out of the hospital and passed away December 26, 2017 at her nursing home in Rochester Hills, MI. There will be a Memorial Service April 7, 2018 at Bethany Lutheran Church at 1:30pm . (11475 E. Outer Drive, Detroit, MI 48224, 313-885-7721). Ruth was a long, long time member of Bethany. The service will also commemorate what would have been her 99th birthday. In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to Bethany Lutheran Church.