Donald Leon “Tim” Timmerman (1916-2013)
This week marks the 102nd anniversary of the birth of my father-in-law, Donald L. Timmerman. He was born 1 Jul 1916 in Sheldon, Iowa to Julius and Leona (Brown) Timmerman, the fifth of eight children. Although poor while battling through the Depression, the Timmermans moved to Sioux Falls, SD, where Tim attended Washington High School. Already 6′ 4″ tall, he did well in sports, specializing in basketball and track. After exchanging letters with the athletic staff at the University of Wisconsin, he was offered an opportunity to play on the basketball team with what would be now known as a partial scholarship. Now 6’10”, Tim was the tallest man in the Big Ten conference and helped the Badgers win the school’s only National Basketball Championship in 1941. He met his future bride, Gertrude (Jeanne) Woodside in Madison and they were married in nearby Portage,WI on 27 Jun 1942. Tim and Jeanne raised five children and moved to California in 1963. Tim worked in the machine tool industry and retired in 1980. He and Jeanne toured the country as full time RVers until the late 90’s when Jeanne’s health forced them to settle down. They moved in between Reno, NV and Bakersfield, CA (to be near his kids) a few times until Jeanne passed away 24 Jun 2002 in Bakersfield, just before their 60th anniversary. Tim lived in Reno, moved to Santa Cruz with his second wife Betty, and then back to Reno after she passed away. We had some great celebrations with Gramps in his later years, throwing a couple parties to commemorate birthdays number 90 and 95 at our Reno home. He loved spending time with friends and family, and tinkering with gadgets and computers. Tim passed away in his apartment in Reno, NV on 14 Mar 2013, after fighting through a hip fracture from a fall in January. He was 96 years young and is in our thoughts often.