Dale M. Zimmerman, age 89, of Porter, MN, passed away Thursday, October 31,2024 at the Eventide Lutheran Home in Moorhead, MN. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Friday, November 8, 2024 at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Canby, MN. Burial will be in the St. Lucas Cemetery, rural Cottonwood, MN. Visitation will be Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 5 – 7 pm with a 7 pm prayer service at the Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel in Canby and will resume Friday one hour prior to the service at the church. The Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel in Canby is handling the arrangements.
Dale Lee Zimmerman was born May 15, 1935, to Godfrey and Esther (Kamrath) Zimmerman in the family home in Alta Vista township, rural Porter, MN. He was baptized and confirmed at Zacchaeus Lutheran Church in Canby. Dale attended Porter School through 8th grade and graduated from Canby High School. When growing up on the farm, Dale participated in the Alta Vista 4-H club in Lincoln County where he took interest in gardening and livestock. He sang in the church and high school choirs. Dale enlisted in the Army on January 18, 1955, and was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Lee as a pipeline specialist serving three years. He was honorably discharged January 17, 1958. After returning from service, he worked in telephone construction in Appalachia, and later with Gunderson Construction of Minneota. He attended the Adult Agriculture Classes in Canby and began farming by renting land south of Porter while working full-time in construction and began building a beef cow herd. On July 10, 1965, he married Dorothy Loken at St. Lucas Lutheran Church, rural Cottonwood, MN. They lived in Canby, and he commuted to the farms. Two daughters Sonja and Karla were born to this union. In 1979, Dale selected a homestead south of Porter in Lincoln County where he established and cared for an orchard, vegetable and flower gardens. Dale was a grain farmer until his retirement in 1997. Dale served as a Deacon for Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church council, on the board of the Porter Co-op, participated with the Porter Farm and Country Club and annual Porter Auction, Sons of Norway, and the Society for the Study of Local & Regional History through Southwest Minnesota State University. Dale valued his membership in the Porter American Legion Post 457, and the special Porter Memorial Day service and community potluck gathering. Dale continued to advocate for the development and continuation of the Porter Café, The People’s Place for the community. He rarely missed the morning coffee time during the week at the Porter Café. He enjoyed playing cards with other Porter card club men and visits with friends at the Marble Store. He was a good listener and friend of many ages. He had a great sense of humor and enjoyed joking with friends and family. He had a deep faith and respect for God’s word. He loved his family, their rural farming life, church, and community. Dale had a strong work ethic and looked forward each day to getting at the work there was to do at the farm. He valued spending time with his family and friends, working outdoors in the gardens, reading United States history, and touring Civil War battlefield locations, reading of past and current world historical events, and biblical history. Dale expanded his understanding of history, religions, and cultures through extensive travel. A soft-spoken gentleman, he enjoyed conversations with family and friends.
Dale created a home and family life with love and respect for each other. He will be missed by his wife, Dorothy; daughters: Sonja Zimmerman and her son Connor Carlson, and Karla (Mark) Spitzer and their children, Levi and Nora Spitzer; sister-in-law Janice Zimmerman; brother-in-law Albert (Patty) Loken; several nieces and nephews as well as many other relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers: Roger Zimmerman and Ronald Zimmerman.
