Kent Topping Zimmerman

Kent’s goal in life, above all, was to help others and make their lives better. On April 8, 2025, at the age of 83, he finished his last earthly campaign, when he died from complications of lung disease. Now, of course, he will see what he can do to make heaven an even better place.

Kent spent most of his life in the marketing field in both Chicago and New York, eventually moving to Des Moines. He loved market research, and was always interested in what would serve people best. One of his earliest brainstorms came in the 1960’s, when he watched a housewife struggling to get a 15-pound turkey out of the bottom of a freezer case. He persuaded the Butterball Turkey Company to package the carcass in a plastic bag with an easy-to-grip handle – an innovation that remains the industry standard today.

In his years in Des Moines, Kent co-founded Zimmerman, Laurent, & Richardson Inc. (now ZLR Ignition). In late 1995, he and his late wife Anne created their own marketing and public relations consulting firm. Among his most satisfying successes were his marketing plans for the newly restored Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa and for the Iowa Lottery. Kent closed the firm in 2007 to be president and CEO of the Wallace Centers of Iowa, a former client.

But as Kent told his story, not every piece of advice he gave was good. He often recalled, with some chagrin, telling Herb Kohler that his plan for a “destination resort” in the backwoods of Kohler, Wisconsin would never succeed. The Kohler Board agreed with Kent, but Herb went ahead anyway. Of course, the American Club proved to be wildly successful.

Another oft-told story was of his participation in a key moment in American history – serving in the Illinois National Guard at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. His assignment was to maintain order during the protests, an even bigger challenge since he was never issued ammunition for his rifle. He laughed when he pointed out that one of his duties was making sure the demonstrators crossed Michigan Avenue at the stoplight. On a more serious note, he also drove a jeep controlling the demonstrators as they marched down Michigan Avenue, all the while managing the ABC and CBS cameramen.

Kent’s faith was central to his life. He relished his trip to the Himalayas with Above and Beyond Cancer in 2012, a journey intended to honor Anne (who died of cancer) and to solidify his two-year-long relationship with his future wife, Mary. Some years later, in a speech at Central Presbyterian Church, he said, “The journey … enabled me to make peace with the past, to better understand what love and caring are about, and to realize that God often works in strange and unexpected ways. I believe [the trip] was a gift from God. And that is something pretty extraordinary, especially when it happened on a mountain called Imja Tse, at a Starbucks, 12,000 miles from home!”

In retirement, he continued to use his consulting skills to help his community. He served on several non-profit boards, including Calvin Community Foundation, Central Presbyterian Church, and his condo association, West Grand Towers. His Himalayan journey led, in the way these things do, to his role as the Interim Executive Director of Above & Beyond Cancer, working with Dr. Richard Deming to lead the agency’s transition from startup to a successful and growing non-profit.

In his later years, he also explored the delights of travel. After making a serious dent in the list of America’s national parks, he and Mary headed overseas to such diverse spots as Australia and New Zealand, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Mexico, Panama, Iceland, Greenland, South Africa, the UAE and Costa Rica. Domestic travel proved more challenging – his three separate attempts to visit the Everglades were foiled by weather and by COVID.

Kent was born in Oak Park, IL on August 26, 1941 to George and Jane Topping Zimmerman. He graduated from Northwestern with a degree in Business Administration (1963) and a M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern (1964). Kent is survived by his longtime partner and wife, Mary Gottschalk, a sister Lynn (David) McCreery, brother-in-law Hugh (Jeanne) Gottschalk, nieces Susan Foster and Shannon Bennett, their children, and many, many friends.

After donating his organs, he was cremated. His ashes will be spread in the Wildflower Scatter Garden at Glendale Cemetery at a time to be determined. Kent’s life will be celebrated at a reception at the Chamberlain Pub at Wesley on Grand on July 14, 2025.

Memorial contributions can be made in his honor to the Central Presbyterian Church Foundation, Wesley on Grand Good Samaritan Fund, or the Retirement Match Endowment at the Mind and Spirit Counseling Center.