Eric Dieter Zimmermann

Eric D. Zimmermann, 57, of Griswold, CT passed on December 7th, 2022 at home in the company of his family after a long, hard battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on April 13th, 1965 to Horst Zimmermann and Annette St. John. Attended Norwich Technical High School and worked in many industries, before taking over the family HVAC company, Tri-Town Mechanical.

He is survived by his parents, his sister Lisa Hargraves and brother-in-law Dan Hargraves, his aunts and uncles, and his many nieces and nephews.

He met the love of his life, Lois Zimmermann, at the Brown Derby Lounge in the late 1990’s after she, so very endearingly, poked fun at him showing up to the bar in white jeans. Little did they know this would lead to a long, loving relationship of poking fun at each other every day. They had their daughter, Ajia Zimmermann, on July 23rd, 1994 and wed on September 11th, 1994. At this time, he became a step-father to his loving step-son Michael Vergason, who predeceased him on September 19th, 2016. He will be survived by his wife, his daughter and his soon-to-be son-in-law, Benjamin Linares, and Raven Smith, who was like a daughter to him. Eric loved his family more than anything and often gloated about how proud he was of them.

He also had many friends from far and near, who he held very deeply in his heart. He is survived by the Openchofski family, Michael Richards, the Sulik Family, Robert Stiwinter, Ray Cartier, the Wadja family just to name a very few. He loved his Harley-Davidsons and would frequently be seen at the local runs with his wife. He treasured his Harley-Davidson family and the long, backroad rides he would take throughout the Northeast.

Eric was a loyal, loving man to his family and friends. He believed that being there for those you love is of the upmost importance in life. He was the life of every party. The type of person to buy everyone in the bar a drink, if that meant everyone would have a good time. He was the king of jokes and always took on the job of making everyone in the room laugh. He always showed up, even when times were hard, and would give the shirt off his back for a friend in need.

He took pride in his work. He cherished the many clients he interacted with during his years running the family company, Tri-Town Mechanical. He was the type of person to rush to help someone without heat even if it was a holiday or the dead of a nor’easter. He treated all his clients with kindness and respect, knowing that they were the heart of his business.

Words will never encapsulate the amazing man that Eric was. He was taken from us all far too soon and wanted nothing more but to stay here on this Earth. He fought his cancer with every ounce of his being and beat nearly every life expectancy timeline he was given. Thankfully, he is no longer suffering and at peace. He would want everyone to remember him as he was. A father, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, and above all else, a man who loved everything he had.

In lieu of a wake and funeral, Eric, requested a celebration of life in his honor, which is only fitting for the man who was always the life of the party. Celebration of Life will be held on January 7th. 2023 at the Jacques Cartier Club in Griswold, CT at 12pm. All those who knew and loved Eric are welcome.

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