Phillip Carl “Joe” Zimmerly age 77 of Shullsburg, passed away Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at Ennoble Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Dubuque, Iowa.  Joe was born on May 24, 1939 the son of Phillip and Gertrude (Vater) Zimmerly. He grew up and lived in North Freedom and attended his first year of high school in Baraboo.  Joe moved to Shullsburg with his family his sophomore year of high school where he graduated in 1957.   Joe was united in marriage to Jean Ekleberry on Feb. 24, 1962 in Shullsburg. He was later united in marriage to Shirley Joanne Lyne on Feb. 14, 1976 in Darlington. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in February of 2016. Joe worked for Pop Judd Well Drilling in Shullsburg for a short time before going to work at Clemon’s Auto Body Shop in Dubuque for a number of years. He later worked at Bird’s Chevrolet in Dubuque, retiring in May 2001.
He is survived by his wife: Shirley of Shullsburg; his three children: Jim (Petra Mayne) Zimmerly of Big Lake, Minn., Cherie (Eugene) Uehling of Shullsburg, and Heidi (Dan) Sigwarth of Shullsburg; nine grandchildren: Tony and Brianna Zimmerly, Andrew, Samuel and Sadie Uehling, and Bradley, Benjamin, Hildie, and Joelle Sigwarth; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, step-father: Howard Hill; and step mother: Alice (Steinhorst) Zimmerly; mother-in-law: Hazel Lyne; brothers and sisters-in-law: Howard and Marge Lyne, Violet and Francis Kilcoyne, Adda and Dean Gehrt, Alice and Ernie Hendrickson, Dale and Eunice Lyne, and Dorothy and Louis Dorsey.
Joe served in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1957 until 1961 where he was a military personnel transport driver. Joe was a member of Shullsburg American Legion Post # 105, and the Auto Workers Union.  He was a past member of St Paul Lutheran Church in North Freedom, High Point Cruisers Car Club in Scales Mound and a Shullsburg Boy Scout Leader. He enjoyed old cars, watching old movies with his cat “Friskie”, going for rides in the country, and spending time with his family.
A funeral service was held Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Erickson Funeral Home (235 N. Judgement Street, Shullsburg) where Rev. Jeffrey A. Meyer of Centenary United Methodist Church officiated. Burial was in Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Baraboo, where military graveside rites were accorded by Baraboo Veteran Honor Guard. A visitation was held Friday, June 10, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Erickson Funeral Home and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. at the funeral home. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.ericksonfuneralhome.com.