“Happy Birthday to you!”
UM Health-West co-workers are not going to make Pete Zimmer blow out 99 candles on his enormous birthday cake, but they do want to celebrate him, says Volunteer and Guest Services Manager Jennifer DeVries.
“How often do you turn 99? And to be as involved as he is. We here at West just adore him.”
Zimmer spent his life serving others, first in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War, and since 2017, as a hospital volunteer.
He’s logged more than 2,000 hours with the Facilities Department.
“You’ll often see Pete walking the halls with his clipboard. He’s looking for safety issues
whether there might be something broken or a stained ceiling tile, he will document that.”
After his wife died, Pete moved to Byron Center to live with his daughter, Joy, and her family.
The two now work together in Volunteer Services. She was with staff who threw him a birthday party, thanking him for a lifetime of service to his country and his community.
“We all hope we’re like Pete when we get to 99 – if we get to 99!”
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