Robert Zimmerman: A life of art, church, and family

Homeland residents bring their cherished furnishings, heirlooms, and art to their bright, comfortable rooms.

Robert Zimmerman brings an extra-special touch to his walls – extraordinary watercolors and one oil – painted by him.

“Patty on the Porch” shows Zimmerman’s wife gazing at the lovely scene at their son’s Long Island place. In other images, waves crash on the shores below lighthouses, a curious giraffe halts its grazing to gaze at its photographer, and a man and two boys in silhouette cross a farm field.

“Zimmy,” as his friends call him, has been settling into his personal care suite since April 2024, making Homeland his home.

“As soon as we walked into Homeland, I got the vibe,” he said. “You can tell from the warmth of the place. The warm colors, wood, and homey elements gave us a good feeling.”

Zimmerman can reflect on a life full of art, family, work, and church. He grew up in Harrisburg after his father moved the family from Middleburg, PA, to ensure his children got a good education.

He met his wife when they were high school students. She was babysitting for a neighborhood family and invited his gang of friends to visit. As they were leaving and Zimmerman was walking down the steps, he thought, “If I don’t do something about this girl and me, I’m going to miss an opportunity.”

They married in 1954 and had two sons, Andrew and Craig. After his first job with the city water company, a friend who worked for Central State Door Service suggested he apply there.

Calling the company “the best place to work,” Zimmerman stayed for 42 years as a garage-door installer for homes and industries. During that time, he also served 10 years in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Meanwhile, Patty got a job in a Central Dauphin School District elementary school cafeteria, rising to cafeteria manager and eventually to administrative assistant in the

superintendent’s office. When the district adopted computerized operations, Patty took computing classes and helped lead the conversion.

“They both worked really hard to put my brother and me through college,” Craig Zimmerman said.

Robert Zimmerman’s introduction to art came via a gift from Patty. She had a cousin whose husband, Don Lenker, cofounded the Seven Lively Artists, Central Pennsylvania’s preeminent group of painters, founded in 1956 and still going strong. The couple enjoyed their shows, and one Christmas, Patty presented Zimmerman with a large box. When he opened it, her surprise gift included a sketchbook and pigments. Lenker noticed that Zimmerman had a talent for watercolors, and Zimmerman started joining the Seven Lively Artists on their painting retreats.

“The first year, I wouldn’t even let them see it,” Zimmerman recalls.

Finally, they called him into the sunroom at Warm Springs Lodge sunroom in Perry County and told him they had voted him into the group.

“That was one of the highlights of my artistic life,” he said.

The experience led to other memorable moments, including the group’s Christmastime showing at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence and a dinner with Gov. Ed Rendell.

The Zimmermans’ devotion to their church included Patty’s service as a youth fellowship leader and Zimmerman’s as a church elder. He also wrote and directed Christmas plays for the church, putting new spins on classic Christmas tales. He still recalls “Marley,” his reworking of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol,” which gave the beleaguered, enchained ghost of Jacob Marley a shot at redemption.

Zimmerman cared for his beloved Patty for 10 years before she passed away. Their lives included gifts of passage to Europe on Queen Elizabeth II for their 30th anniversary and Queen Mary II for their 50th.

Craig Zimmerman said Homeland is a good place for his dad to live.

“He’s a social guy, and he’s had that opportunity here,’’ Craig Zimmerman said. “People are so friendly and helpful.”