Louise “Liz” Zimmerman, 91 of New Boston, died Saturday, September 6, 2025, at her home. Private family services will be held. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or to the Quad City Animal Welfare Center. Speer Funeral Home, Aledo, is assisting the family and condolences may be left at speerfuneralhome.com.
Louise was born on April 11, 1934, in Moline, Illinois, to Harvey and Nettie (Crane) Neal. She was a 1952 graduate of Moline High School, and of Marycrest University with a teaching degree and Western Illinois University with her Master’s Degree. Liz and Richard Zimmerman were married on June 21, 1953, in Moline, Illinois.
Liz was dedicated to children, spending most of her life teaching first grade at Grant School in Rock Island. She also loved helping the kids at Vacation Bible School in Moline and New Boston. Girls Scouts and Boy Scouts also played a major role in her life. As a den mother she held the best Christmas parties and also helped with many aspects of Girl Scouts, but a highlight was a canoe trip to the Boundary waters.
Liz was known to like a bargain, whether she was antiquing, going to a yard sale, or just shopping. She loved to garden and canned everything. Liz and Dick moved to New Boston where she could have a large garden and share the bounty of her garden, watch the birds, bunnies, and squirrels. They literally built their home from the ground up with love and friendship. They were also members of the Aledo United Methodist Church and the Studebaker Club, where she had served as Secretary.
Those left to cherish Liz’s memory include her husband, Dick; daughters and sons-in-law, Linden “Lindy” and Tom Jensen, Liz and Dick Shurson, and Kristel Stopoulos; and grandchildren, Shanna Jensen, Ben and Nellie Jensen, Anna and Yul Berg, Kayte and Brody Hamel, James and Amanda Kleinau, Joanna and Brent Ayers, Dawn and Matthew Kruse, Rusty and Audrey Zimmerman, Jennifer Zimmerman and Brad Lingafelter, Renee Sanders, James and Emily Sanders, and Jr. and Shaleshia Munson. She is also survived by 28 great-grandchildren and a special canine companion, Penny. Liz was preceded in death by her parents; son, Eric Zimmerman; grandson, Andrew Sparkman; great-grandson, Kevin Kruse; and son-in-law, James Stopoulos.