[br][br]Bill was born on February 16, 1930 in Walla Walla, Washington to George and Dorothea (Poirier) Zimmer. His family returned to his grandfather Albeni Poirier's homestead in Newport, WA where he grew up. He graduated from Newport High School in 1946 and enrolled at Gonzaga University where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in education. Between degrees, he enlisted in the military and proudly served in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps during the Korean War. While in college, Bill met and married his loving wife, Irene Albers in 1951. They were married for 64 years and have 10 children: Doug, Larry, Julie, Connie, Chris, Sue, Steve, Patty, Dave, Carol, 12 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren and lovingly welcomed their children's spouses into their family. Bill taught high school English, with the majority of his teaching at Lewis and Clark High School, where he also served as a counselor and assistant principal. He later was the principal at Libby Junior High and retired from Spokane School District as an area director. Retirement didn't slow him down as he and Irene traveled the world and volunteered often, including several years with the Spokane Valley Optimists Club and the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum. In retirement, he became a member of the West Valley School Board with the intention of serving for a few years and stayed on for 17! His impact on the educational community in Spokane was far-reaching and inspiring to all knew him. He spent his life in service and much of that service was inspired by his Catholic faith. He was a devoted parishioner and lector at St. John Vianney for over 45 years where he was known for his booming voice. Bill's legacy includes his generous spirit, witty sense of humor, love of sports, passion for travel, talent as a craftsman, desire to always be a life-long learner, and devotion to family and God. He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Connie, siblings: Mary, Agnes, Francis, George, Dorothy and Jack. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, April 9 at 1pm at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in the Spokane Valley, with a reception to follow. A rosary service will be held on Friday, April 8 at 6pm at the church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the St. John Vianney Poverty Fund. You are encouraged to visit the online remembrance at www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com