Pauline Marie (Moellering) Zimmerman, 69, of Oakley, KS, entered eternal rest on December 9, 2020, at the Logan County Hospital, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. She was born on May 12, 1951, to Reynold and Hilda (Schwarz) Moellering of Angelus, KS. Pauline grew up on a dairy farm and learned her strong work ethic by helping her parents with milking cows, preparing meals, and helping around the house. Her parents instilled a love of horses in Pauline and her sisters, and they enjoyed taking a horse out for a ride when they had free time. The girls cherished the family time spent with their horses.
Pauline met Larry Zimmerman at a dance in Angelus, KS, during her senior year of high school. They started dating, and before long, Larry proposed. Larry and Pauline were married on September 6, 1969, at St. Paul Catholic Church in Angelus. They had four children, Michael, Sandra, Becky, and Kevin, and raised them on their farm south of Oakley. Pauline spent her days working alongside Larry on the farm, and anyone who knew Pauline would comment she was a “tough lady” who had a heart of gold. Pauline ran combine during harvest, drove tractor, perfected the art of loading and moving round bales, and was on the loader to feed cows. She also selflessly made sure her children had everything they needed-a kiss due to a skinned knee, endless laundry, making sure their sports uniforms were clean on game days, and a role model for how to be kind and treat others with respect.
In her spare time, Pauline enjoyed sewing and crafting. She made many clothes and Halloween costumes for her kids. She even made a prom dress and beautiful bridesmaid dresses. Pinterest became a favorite of Pauline’s, and many of those ideas came to fruition. Painted bottle caps turned into ladybugs for her flower beds, decorated horseshoes for wall art, dollar bills taped together, rolled, and placed in a tissue box for birthday fun were a few of her creative ideas.
Her grandchildren were Pauline’s greatest joy. These eight individuals hit the jackpot being able to call her grandma! She will be remembered for fudgsicles in the freezer, four-wheeler rides, gathering eggs from the chicken house, and most importantly, her loving hugs.
She was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, D of I, Altar Society, and she served on Parish Council. Pauline made many cakes for the annual St. Joseph Carnival and always volunteered her help to make sure there were enough people to make the day a success.
Pauline was preceded in death by her youngest child, Kevin, and her parents.
Survivors include her husband, Larry; son Michael and Aimee Zimmerman, of Oakley, KS; daughters, Sandra and Blake Werth, of Hays, KS, and Becky and Eric Chadwick, of Pasadena, CA; grandchildren, Cole (Michelle), Jenna (Brandon), Kade, and Cody Zimmerman, Jacob (Kathleen) and Ethan Werth, and Ian and Taryn Chadwick; and sisters, Ann and Clem Delzeit, of Scranton, KS, Betty and Louis Grunewald, of Casper, WY, Marita and Gary Schieck, of Colby, KS, Joyce and Kim Tice, of Hoxie, KS, and Lucy and Steve Zerr, of Levant, KS.
Visitation is Sunday, December 13, 2020, 5:00-7:00 pm, with vigil at 7:00 pm, at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Funeral Mass is Monday, December 14, 2020, 10:00 am, at St. Joseph Catholic Church with burial to follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to St. Joseph School in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box, 204, Oakley, KS, 67748. For condolences and information, please visit www.baalmannmortuary.com.