Matthew Ethan Zimmerman was born on November 25, 1974, in Anamosa, Iowa, and passed away unexpectedly on July 13, 2024, at the age of 49 at his home in Rogersville, Missouri.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Anita (Keltner) Zimmerman, daughter Sloan Zimmerman, and son Brody Zimmerman, all of the home. Other survivors include Matt’s parents Vaughn and Rebecca (Burton) Zimmerman, brother Justin Zimmerman (Jackie),  nephew and niece, Jacob Zimmerman and Taylor Zimmerman, plus countless other nephews, nieces, relatives, and friends.

Matt worked from the age of 16 for Wilhoit Properties and Zimmerman Properties Construction. He was responsible for building tens of thousands of apartment units and leading legions of construction teams in creating quality affordable housing projects spanning 17 states. Matthew was the best kind of boss: knowledgeable, thorough, and fair with a heavy dose of sarcasm and humor sprinkled in.

Matt’s proudest accomplishments, though, were his children. Whether it was watching Sloan succeed in her FFA ventures making Nationals or cheering for Brody as he wrestled or drag raced, he was the best parent/fan. His children will never wonder if he loved them, as he told them multiple times daily. They made him so proud.

Matt’s wife, Anita, was Matt’s best friend and this fact was clear in their day-to-day interactions. He loved her so well and made her laugh out loud every single day. Sloan and Brody saw a wonderful example of love and friendship in their parents that they can carry with them forever.

As a relative or friend, any one of Matt’s could write of his/her experiences with Matt fondly. He was so very generous to friends and family in many ways, but especially with the products of his work as a gardener, chef and grillmaster. He will be described forever as a “great guy.”

Matt also deeply loved his racing family. He invested his heart, soul, and a few dollars in his racing team and the Midwest Drag Racing Series, including the Junior Dragster Series, and was always looking forward to the next race and upcoming seasons.  The team rose to his expectations in 2018 when their 1969 Camaro achieved recognition as the world’s fastest stock-body drag race car at that time, running the 1/8 mile race at 217 mph in 3.621 seconds, and in 2020 winning the Sweet 16 Race in the Pro 275 class in Valdosta, Georgia. He was passionate about drag racing, and this passion is evident in his family’s excitement about the sport and in Brody’s budding drag car driving. He was quoted as saying, “Dad and Justin are into horses; I’m into horsepower.”

Matt will always be remembered as a passionate sportsman, an adventure-loving outdoorsman and hunter, a generous gentleman, and most importantly, a loving and devoted father and husband.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Logan-Rogersville FFA at 300 N. Missouri Blvd, Rogersville, MO 65742 or to the Logan-Rogersville Education Foundation at 4730 S. National Ave, Bldg A1, Springfield, MO 65810.