Twenty-one bell chimes will ring out across the University of Wisconsin campus this afternoon to memorialize each year of UW junior Brittany Zimmermann’s life.
When her fianc?, Jordan Gonnering, found her slain exactly one year ago in her home, Zimmermann’s homicide sent a wave of devastation throughout not only the campus and the city of Madison but also her hometown of Marshfield, Wis. And as friends, family and university community members mourn together today, the life of Zimmermann and the impact she had on so many have not been forgotten.
“She was driven and bright and bubbly,” said Elizabeth Dostal, Marshfield High School vice principal and Zimmermann’s guidance counselor.
Dostal said one of her best memories she can recall about Zimmermann is the day she received her acceptance letter from UW.
“She came in waiving it, jumping up and down,” Dostal said. “She was so excited she got in. She was so excited to be a Badger.”
Dostal added even when financial aid time rolled around in the spring, Zimmermann was determined to make it to UW that fall, no matter what it took.
“If the financial aid package didn’t come in the way she wanted it, or the scholarships didn’t come in the way she wanted it, she would still find a way to attain her goal,” Dostal said. “And that’s where that perseverance, that diligence really came to the fore. She realized it was going to be a lot of student loans, and a lot of work and working while she was going to school, but she was willing to accept that because she really wanted to be a student at the university.”
Zimmermann was pursuing a medical microbiology and immunology major while here at UW and planned to attend medical school to become a doctor after graduation.
But even in high school, Dostal said Zimmermann was not “all academics all the time,” rather she was vivacious and curious about each and every subject she studied.
“She just wanted to learn and absorb it all,” Dostal said. “She always brought that happiness, that sincerity and that genuineness to everything she attempted and participated in.”
And although Zimmermann’s impacts have been numerous and widespread, her family has not found it any easier to cope with the loss of a daughter, a niece and a friend in the past year’s time.
“The realization that never again will we hear Brittany’s contagious laugh, see her infectious smile or feel her arms around us in a hug is more than words can express. We all lost so much a year ago,” she said in a release through the Madison Police Department last week. “We, her family, lost a part of our hearts that will never be filled and feel a physical pain in our bodies each and every day.”
Later today, Dean of Students Lori Berquam will meet with Kevin and Jean Zimmermann, Brittany’s parents, to offer words of comfort as well as lend support on behalf of the university.
“I want her parents to know that we haven’t forgotten about Brittany at UW,” Berquam said. “This is obviously a huge tragedy and I just want to continue to reach out. I think it’s important that they know that we as a campus still remember Brittany and we hold her in our hearts.”
Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp said he has been “tremendously saddened” by the loss of Zimmermann, adding he hopes the university community can continue to remember the positive contributions Zimmermann made while she was alive.
“Being around this university for as many years as I have, one of the things I’ve always really enjoyed is the great pride and hope parents have when their children come here, and to have that taken away in this manner is just an absolute tragedy,” he said. “But our community is strong enough that we will rekindle that (hope), and in that I also hope we remember Brittany.”
Those who wish to remember Zimmermann can also take part in the fund, “Dollars for Brittany,” which was set up by her family to help students with financial struggles from Zimmermann’s hometown area attend college.
Berquam said she is hoping the university will be able to partner with the Zimmermann family in the future to help with the fund.
“I think it’s important for keeping her legacy, as well as moving forward,” Berquam added.
ROTC Color Guard will hold the bell-ringing ceremony in honor of Zimmermann at the Carillion Tower, 1600 Observatory Drive at 12:20 p.m. University community members are encouraged to gather at the base of the tower.
Contributions to the “Dollars for Brittany” fund can be sent to the Brittany Zimmermann Memorial Fund, Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union, P.O. Box 279, Marshfield, WI 54449.
