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Gary Zimmerman (1949- 1996)

Gary Zimmerman was born February 24, 1949, of California. He died on his 47th birthday, 1996 in Utah.

Tribute by Connell O'Donovan:

I first met Gary in 1980, when I began working for the Genealogy Library (when it was still called that, and located in the "west testicle" of the Church Office Building). Gary was a professional genealogist who used the library's services on a daily basis and we got to be quite good friends. (There was a group of about 20 Gay men I knew of during the early 1980s who all worked at the Genealogy Library, either as employees of the Library itself as I was initially, or as independent researchers like Gary.)

Gary had gone on a Navajo-speaking mission to southern Utah, which had been extremely difficult for him, as he struggled both with his sexuality and with learning to speak Navajo-Dineh (considered by some linguists to be the most difficult language on earth). While Gary was bitter about his mission experiences, he was very helpful to me during my coming out, always willing to lend an ear or shoulder when I so desperately needed someone to speak with. I believe he was also the first person to tell me about Affirmation. Thank you so much Gary for your lovely friendship!

During the early 1990s, Gary collaborated with a woman named Marion Wolfert on editing the first three volumes of a genealogical book titled German Immigrants: Lists of Passengers Bound from Bremen to New York. After Gary's death, Ms. Wolfert finished their research project by publishing the fourth volume in this series.

Please add your own tribute by sending an email to James Kent.