Leonard Paul Zimmerman Sr.

Leonard P. Zimmerman Sr.,79, died Dec. 2, 2020 with Nona, his wife of almost 57 years at his bedside.
Born in Galveston, Texas, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada at an early age. His favorite story was about Sammy Davis Jr. who walked into a casino where Len was playing blackjack and took over as dealer at Len's table.
Len attended Woodbury College in California and served four years in the Army. Uncle Sam sent him to Fort Gordon, where he met Nona. Two months later, they were married. They went to Luigi’s on their wedding night, and it became an anniversary tradition. They had two children, Charmain and Leonard “Porkchop” Jr. While Len never won the lottery, they did have a wealth of love. He never missed a chance to be involved in their lives sitting through many softball games and plays, attending art exhibitions and book signings and wearing Happy buttons. Charmain married Len’s favorite son-in-law, Bret Brackett, and they had three children, Jessica (Kris) Carroll, 2nd Lt. Jeremy (Kirsten) and Allie. He had one great-grandson, Zachary. When the grandchildren arrived, he attended even more plays and ballet. He loved to watch his grandchildren dance especially tap dance. He was proud of his grandson’s military service. Len was an entrepreneur, a shopkeeper and an inventor. A man of strong faith, he earned a Master of Divinity degree and was an ordained Baptist minister. Len loved downtown Augusta where he owned a home for 35 years. He ate at Hildebrandt’s so much, Luanne named the “Zimmerman Five-Star Hot Dog” for him. He wrote a book called Grandpa’s 51 Rules of the Road for the Beginner Driver. It was a Number One New Release on Amazon. Porkchop illustrated the book with great love and a nod to his dad’s sense of humor. Len loved a good joke and had an infectious laugh. While many people call his humor “dad jokes,” his grandkids called them “Papa jokes.” The worse the pun, the better he liked it.

Len also leaves two sisters, Linda Dawson and Sylvia Branam; many nieces, nephews and friends and a beloved dog named Ginger. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Juanita Zimmerman and a brother, Ray.

The funeral will be at 11:00 a.m. December 7, 2020 at New Life Church on Bobby Jones Expressway with Pastor Phillip Maxwell officiating. Burial will be in Westover Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. December 6, 2020 at Thomas Poteet and Son Funeral Directors.

Memorials may be made to Project Life Augusta, 1758 Gordon Highway, Augusta 30904.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com