Ikuko Zimmerman

On Friday, September 2, 2022, Ikuko Zimmerman, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and beloved friend, passed away ever-so-peacefully at Harmony at West Shore at the age of 89, and was at last joyfully reunited with her husband, John, in Heaven.

Ikuko Kodomari was born on February 19, 1933, in Manchuria, China - then a territory of Imperial Japan. She was the second-born child of Yoshio and Shinobu Kodomari, joining her older brother, Nobuyoshi, and later welcoming a sister Shiori and brother Takayoshi. When she was 12 years old the family emigrated to their homeland of Japan following World War II, where Ikuko graduated from high school and subsequently secretarial school, where she further honed her skills in English. It was in Fukuoka-ken, Japan, at Tsuiki Air Base that John Zimmerman met the love of his life, Ikuko, on his first day of work in the Air Force Inspections Office. They would eventually marry and have four loving children, whom they doted upon.

Ikuko had a passion for everything artistic, and had incredible talent as an expert seamstress, painter, Japanese doll maker, embroiderer, floral arranger (ikebana), and just about anything creative she put her mind to. One of her masterpieces, a very large canvas of a tiger created entirely with colored and textured string, was exhibited at The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Ikuko was very compassionate and was loved by all who knew her. She was well known for her amazing Japanese cooking and her caring and empathetic nature.

Ikuko was preceded in death by her father, Yoshio, her mother, Shinobu, brothers Nobuyoshi and Takayoshi, and her husband, John. She is survived by her four children, Naomi Losch (Jeffrey) of Duncannon; Ruth Zimmerman (Terry) of Halifax; John Zimmerman (Michael Aaron) of Arlington, VA; and Paul Zimmerman (Tina) of Summerville, SC; seven grandchildren: Rachel Seib (Kenneth); Joseph Fox; Leah Losch; Brandon, Abigail, and Carter Zimmerman, and Madison Bryant; one great-granddaughter, Layla Hollenbaugh; one sister Shiori Yanase (Kazuo) of Tokyo, Japan; and nieces and nephews. The family invites guests to a visitation from 10:00 to 11:00 on September 13, 2022, at Hoffman Funeral Home at 2020 W. Trindle Road in Carlisle, PA, followed immediately by her Celebration of Life service at 11:00. Interment will follow at 1:30 at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, PA. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Homeland Hospice or to the charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements Entrusted to Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory 2020 W. Trindle Rd Carlisle, PA. 17013 You can sign the Guestbook for the family at HoffmanFH.com