Doris Zimmerman

Memorial services for Doris J. Zimmerman, 82, will be held at 10:00 am Thursday, May 4th at Osage Community Bible Church with Pastors Tommy Miller and Ken James officiating. The family asks that memorial contributions are made to the Osage Community Building in lieu of flowers. Burial of cremains will follow at a later date at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, South Dakota.
Mrs. Zimmerman died Monday, May 1st at Rapid Regional Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Doris was born March 2, 1924 at Hot Springs, South Dakota the daughter of Frederick and Mildred Marty. The family lived on a farm near Smithwick, South Dakota until 1929. Doris attended school at Green Valley Country School, moving to Edgerton, Wyoming during the second grade. The family returned to Smithwick where she attended the third through seventh grade. Following the accidental death of her father, she began eighth grade in Rapid City, SD, finishing the eighth grade at Newcastle, WY. Attending high school in Lusk WY, Hot Springs SD and Newcastle WY where she graduated in 1941. She also attended post high school classes at Cathedral High School in Rapid City.
She moved to Wyandotte, MI with her mother where she was employed as a clerk at Woolworth?s, Grinell Music Company, in the office at Pennsylvania Salt Mfg. Co., and Stinson Aircraft Company where she worked in the aircraft assembly plant. Doris entered nurses training as a member of Cadet Nurses Corp in 1943 at St. Patrick?s School of Nursing, Missoula, MT, graduating in 1946. She was employed at St. Patrick?s Hospital in 1947 until returning to Rapid City to work at St. John?s Mc Namara Hospital. On May 15, 1948, she married Phillip Watson of Keystone, SD. The couple lived in Keystone while her husband operated a feldspar mine until the ore was depleted The couple also lived in Oakland, CA, and Rapid City, SD before moving to the oilfield near Osage, WY. In 1964 the family started Watson?s Market which Doris operated. Following Phillip?s death in 1966, Doris continued to operating the market and was married to Jack Zimmerman on July 22, 1969. The market was closed in 1986 when she retired.
Mrs. Zimmerman was a member of the Osage Women?s Club, served as an election judge for seventeen years, and was a board member for Home Care.
Survivors include sons Steven, Mark, and Douglas Watson, step children Lavonne James and Leslie Zimmerman; eight grandchildren, five step grandchildren; two great grandchildren and twelve step great grandchildren.
Preceding her in death were her parents, two husbands, one son Robert, and two brothers Robert Marty and Smith Whitman.