Obituaries

In Memory of
Wanda Lee Reeves Zimmerman
June 28, 1930 - December 28, 2003

Interment:
Northlawn Memory Gardens, Westerville, Delaware County, Ohio

Wanda Lee Reeves Zimmerman


Birth: Jun. 28, 1930
Filbert
McDowell County
West Virginia, USA

Death: Dec. 28, 2003
Columbus
Franklin County
Ohio, USA


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A GREAT GIFT IS GIVEN
It was a Saturday, June 28, 1930, at 10:29 A.M., in Hallow #9 (Filbert, West Virginia) when an angel of God descended upon the home of Raymond Kermit and Annie Lee (Wagoner) Reeves and delivered to them a beautiful special gift, WANDA LEE REEVES. This was their second of four such gifts.

THE GIFT OF LIFE IS MADE USEFUL

Wanda and her three siblings; James Raymond, Laura Beatrice, and Gladys Lucille; were reared in the church as infants. They attended the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Filbert, West Virginia with their parents. During her teen years, Wanda met Lorraine (Campbell) Anderson and they became friends for life. Upon graduating from Gary District Negro High School in 1948, (where according to her future hubby, they were taught the “3Rs: Reading,‘Riting, and the Road to Ohio,”) Wanda moved to Columbus, Ohio where her grandparents, Glenn and Cleo Wagoner, resided. She joined the Refuge Baptist Church and was baptized by the late Rev. Robert F. Hairston, Sr. Once “Sister Belle,” as her sibs affectionately called her, settled in Columbus, little sis, Lulu, came; then middle sis, BeaBea; and finally big bro, James Raymond.

Wanda always wanted to be a nurse, so she quickly found employment at Ben Franklin Tuberculosis Hospital as a nurse’s aide. There she met military patient, Leonard Zimmerman, who was very ill, but always asking her for a date (after all, nothing was wrong with his eyes). Wanda agreed to have dinner with him IF HE WAS EVER DISCHARGED. The promise of going out with Nurse Reeves cured him and the rest is history.

On her twenty-third birthday; Sunday, June 28,1953; Miss Wanda Lee Reeves and Mr. Leonard Lester Zimmerman were joined in holy matrimony at Antioch Baptist Church. This marriage was blessed with the gift of four additional lives, Deborah Lee “Debbie”, Michael Lamour “Mike”, Twila Delaine “Twee”, and Dwayne Byron “My Dwayne".

She spent a considerable period of her life at home nurturing and caring for her family. Wanda supported the work of her husband by becoming an active member of the Auxiliary to the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees. She was also an organizing member of the Gary District High School Alumni Association. She chose both of these organizations because of their dedication to helping minority youth obtain higher education. She also served her community as a poll worker during the primary and general elections in Franklin County for fifteen years and as a door-to-door solicitor for various charitable organizations.

Wanda united with the Antioch Baptist Church in 1953. She was a member of the Sunday School, Senior Usher Board, the Sewing Circle, the Youth, Heavenly Echo, Mission, and Mass Choirs, and the Faithful Ruth Mission Circle where she served as Vice President for many years.

At Antioch, she became acquainted with Irene Deserette Lenear, who was serving as the secretary of the Ohio Baptist Women’s Convention Headquarters. She began volunteering her services to the women’s headquarters. Around 1965, at the headquarters, she met the Ohio Baptist General Convention (OBGC) secretary, Betty Spencer, and a lasting friendship ensued. Wanda became an office staff member for the OBGC in 1972, under the presidency of Dr. Leon L. Troy. From that year forward, you could always find Wanda, Betty, Dorothy “Dot” Palmer, Frances Pace, Cora Jordan and in latter years, Debbie, her daughter, sitting behind a table or counter registering pastors, churches, or messengers for all OBGC functions. She served faithfully under seven OBGC presidents.

Sister Zimmerman also became involved in the local and district work of the Ohio Baptist. She served as Second Vice President, First Vice President, and eventually President of the First District Women’s Convention to the Eastern Union Missionary Baptist Association (EUMBA) Women’s Auxiliary for twelve years. As President, she and women of First District shared mutual love and respect. “My Pres,” as she was affectionately called, continued the tradition of mission mindedness and instituted the Angel Tree® program, which became a great passion of hers. Wanda also served as Second Vice President of the EUMBA Women’s Auxiliary for eight years. She was honored as the EUMBA’s Woman of the Year in 2001.

Wanda was a member of the Baptist Pastor’s Conference Simultaneous Revival Choir where she enjoyed singing soprano for over twenty-five years, until her health prevented her from standing. Moreover, she was a member of the Interdenominational Church Ushers Association ICUA) on the local, state, regional, and national levels, again an organization that supports higher education.

Preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Annie Reeves; father–in–law and mother–in–law, Edward and Carrie Zimmerman; grandparents, Glenn and Laura Wagoner, Lonnie and Ollie Reeves; brother-in-law, Augustus Zimmerman; sister-in-law, Rachel Zimmerman and nephew, Dale Zimmerman.

THE GIFT RETURNS

Succumbing to illness, at 7:40, on the morning of Sunday, December 28, 2003, a special angel of the Lord came to the Mayfair Village Nursing Center and carried away WANDA to her ETERNAL HOME. Wanda was the forerunner of her family to Columbus and thus she was the forerunner to HEAVEN.

THE GIFT’S LEGACY


Wanda L. Zimmerman left to celebrate her life a loving husband of fifty years, Leonard Zimmerman; dotting children, Deborah McCoy, Michael (Toni) Zimmerman, Twila (Marvin) Fultz, Dwayne B. Zimmerman; devoted grandchildren, Lawanda (Jarrett) McGill, Michael Zimmerman Jr., Matthew Zimmerman, Daryl McCoy, Chelsea Fultz, Michael Bridges, Cary Fultz, Melissa Zimmerman; great-granddaughter, Leah Fultz; caring siblings, James (Alva) Reeves, Beatrice (Clifford) Holcomb, Lucille (Harold) Ragland; warmhearted brother-in-law, William (Juanita) Zimmerman; precious nieces, Dana Zimmerman, Marilyn Zimmerman, Gilda (Robert) Franklin, Karen (Ola) Bakare, Karen (Melvin) Acoff; handsome nephews, Ray (Louise) Reeves, Ronald (Kecia) Reeves, Jeff (Diane) Reeves, David Reeves, Greg (Jackie) Reeves, Monty (Kay) Ragland, Marty (fiancee, Julie) Ragland, Terrell Holcomb; respectful, sons-in-law, Robert Kirk, Harold McCoy; faithful cousin, Doris Leftwich; special friends, Betty Spencer, Helen Norris; her children’s friends who called her “Mom,” Homer Jordan, Winston W. White, Nathaniel Thompson, Danny Hoag; a host of great nieces, great nephews, cousins, other relatives, friends, the Antioch Baptist Church, the Ohio Baptist General Convention, the Eastern Union Missionary Baptist Association and the First District Women's Convention.

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Family links:
Parents:
Raymond Kermit Reeves (1904 - 1980)
Annie Lee Wagoner Reeves (1911 - 1989)


Inscription:
Wanda Lee Zimmerman
Beloved Wife and Mother
Jun 28, 1930 - Dec 28, 2003


Burial:
Northlawn Memory Gardens
Westerville
Delaware County
Ohio, USA
Plot: Veterans Garden Plot 166D Space 1

Created by: Deborah Zimmerman McCoy
Record added: Sep 12, 2014