Allison Kathryn Zimmermann

In Loving Memory of Allison Kathryn Zimmermann Sunrise: August 15, 1996 – Sunset: April 13, 2025 Allison didn’t just live 28 years — she lived with purpose. She believed in something greater than herself: that we are here to lift others, to serve something beyond individual success, and to live each day with courage, curiosity, and compassion. She passed on April 13, 2025, embraced by the love she shared with family, friends, and teammates — a reflection of the community she so naturally built wherever she went. Allison grew up in Orlando fiercely competing in some of the highest-level gymnastic competitions, contributing to Championship teams on a national level and receiving some of the highest-level awards. She was an accomplished pole vaulter at Olympia High School while graduating in the top 5 of her class. She earned a full scholarship to University of Louisville, a 4-year Varsity participant on the Rowing team and a 4-year All-ACC Scholar athlete. She graduated Suma Cum Laude from Louisville in 2018. Allison was more than a gifted athlete or a brilliant scholar. She was a connector — someone who saw people for who they were and helped them believe in what they could become. She had a rare ability to bring people together, to make them feel seen and valued. Her life was a testament to the power of service, teamwork, and heart. Whether in athletics, academics, or simply a moment of quiet kindness, Allison lived by the belief that the strength of the team outweighs individual achievement. Her motto, “Keep Going”, wasn’t just for her — it was for all of us. It was a reminder to persevere, to believe, and to never let fear stand in the way of showing up fully. She had a deep reverence for life in all forms — especially animals and particularly her dogs. To her, every living being deserved dignity, care, and belonging. Her actions consistently aligned with her values — a rare and beautiful kind of integrity. She taught us how to have compassion, how to just listen, how not to respond with solutions, but just listen. Sometimes misunderstood because of her illness, Allison guarded her thoughts to protect her family, her friends, and herself. Allison would always light up the room with her beauty, ingenious personality, strength, and THAT SMILE. Allison is deeply loved and forever remembered by her parents, Eric and Kathy Zimmermann, her brother Gregory Zimmermann, her grandmother Carole Giltz, and a wide circle of uncles, aunts, cousins, teammates, and friends. The community she touched is better because she was here. A visitation with the family will begin at 12:00 PM, followed by a mass promptly at 1:00 PM at Holy Family Catholic Church, 5125 S. Apopka Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32819. The mass will be followed by burial services at Dr. Phillips Cemetery, 5125 S. Apopka Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32819. A Celebration of Life Reception will follow the mass and burial at Orange County Sportsman Association, 9020 Kilgore Rd, Orlando, FL 32819, beginning approximately 2:30 PM until 6:00 PM. In honor of Allison’s values, the family welcomes flowers for the service (www.windermereflowersorlando.com) or donations made to her favorite charity, Suncoast Basset Rescue (www.suncoastbassetrescue.org) — an extension of the love and passion she carried throughout her life. Resting in Peace, Allison. We will Keep Going, even though your illness has taken that from you — because you showed us how and want us to. https://www.youtube.com/live/6-dDMvS2p9Q?feature=shared (Holy Family Services) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LunfMwMYUc&authuser=0 (A Tribute from Louisville Rowing Team) https://youtu.be/DlUKE_vjP5Q (A special friends video tribute to Allison) A special friend's tribute to Allison: Allison, my dear friend. When your family asked me if I would speak today, I was so honored and then immediately panicked. How was I to express in a few short paragraphs what you meant to me, what it meant to be young girls together, what it meant to grow up together, what it meant to watch each other blossom into young women, and everything in between? But I am going to do my best. The last few days, I have not been able to get one particular memory out of my mind. Allison and I were going to the movies, she was driving as she always did at this time, because I didn’t have my license yet. We were in her little punch buggy she had back then, and it was absolutely POURING down rain. I can remember so clearly us on our way there. We couldn’t believe how hard it was raining, and we couldn’t comprehend how or why we thought it was a good idea that we left the house in the first place. Instead of turning around or complaining, we just looked at each other and started giggling. I mean, full-blown tears in our eyes, belly starts to hurt, giggling. And we did so all the way to the theater. We went on to see Pitch Perfect that night, which we proceeded to quote and mimic for weeks, months, even years to come. I don’t know exactly why, of all the memories we have, this is the one that is playing in a loop in my brain, but when I really think about it, it kind of makes sense. It perfectly captures us and furthermore, Allison. We brought out each other's goofy sides, we didn’t take things too seriously, we gave each other permission to be nothing short of ourselves, and we never judged one another. Simply put, we just loved being together. We carried that same foundation of friendship with us into every chapter of life we shared. As we went on to college and graduated into adulthood, we continued to make each other laugh, we continued to lift each other up, we continued to care for each other, and we continued to show up for one another. Our friendship spanning so many years is a testament to the kind of person Allison was. She had a unique ability to make people feel seen, comfortable, and appreciated. She was truly everyone’s greatest cheerleader, whether in academics, sports, or personal life. I can hear her saying right now, “Ohhh yeaa” as she always did when she was hyping me up. Her smile, charisma, and wittiness made every room she walked into brighter. Allison and I always shared a love for music, specifically Taylor Swift. I remember we went to her Speak Now concert, and all Allison cared about was that Taylor played “Long Live”. As long as she played that song, the night would be perfect. To this day, I have always associated that song with Allison. I listened to it this past week, and the lyrics hit a little closer to home. It goes: Will you take a moment? Promise me this That you'll stand by me forever But if, God forbid, fate should step in And force us into a goodbye If you have children someday When they point to the pictures Please tell them my name Tell them how the crowds went wild Tell them how I hope they shine Long live the walls we crashed through How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made" Long live all the mountains we moved I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you Allison, I will forever cherish the friendship that we shared and the time we had together. When people ask me about you, I will share how incredibly kind and caring you were. I will tell them how you accomplished amazing things. I will tell them how deeply you loved the people and animals around you. And most importantly, I will tell them I am better because I knew you. I had the time of my life growing up with you. I love you girl. Thank you. Good afternoon. I am Alex Stanton and along with my wife Shawn, we have the privilege of being Allison’s Godparents. Shawn and Kathy have been besties since college, a mere four decades ago. On behalf of Allison’s immediate family — Eric, Kathy, Gregory, Kent and Carole — thank you for being here today. Whether you came from across the country, down the street or across town, your presence speaks volumes about the love that surrounds this remarkable young woman. Allison gave so much to others, and today, we hold that love close — and we honor her. I have the privilege of trying to accomplish a couple things this afternoon, one harder and one easier. The first is for me to speak to why or how we may be here today, very hard, but most importantly why and how we should be celebrating the life of Allison today, easy. My wife Shawn & I have known Allison the entirety of her life and she lived them with purpose. With passion. With accomplishment. And with a depth of care that left a mark on everyone who knew her. The ultimate teammate. There are incredible accolades about Allison in her Obituary that I do not need to repeat. But simply put, she was brilliant, determined, and endlessly gifted. Her past teammates in all sports have spoken to the family about the devastation of our loss of Allison, letting her family know what a great teammate she was, what a great person she was, and what great friendships they had. Today, we are surrounded by those teammates and coaches from all over the country; what better testament to their love and respect for Allison than this. Allison' s love was quiet, steady, and strong. Whether in the middle of a competition or sitting beside someone who needed to talk, she embodied grace. She brought people together and made them feel like they belonged. Her Dad, Eric, reflects on her personal motto — “Keep Going”— It was not just a motivational phrase. It was a lifeline. It was her way of telling herself, and sometimes all of us, that even when life is heavy, even when fear whispers too loudly, we can still show up. Still try. Still be kind. Still love. Allison never gave up on others — not ever. Now the hardest part: Allison’s journey, filled with love, also included pain, suffering — and it’s important that we speak this truth with love and honesty. However, this truth is so hard to define. Whether Allison battled some illness, some eating disorder, some disease, some genetic disorder, whatever, her battle against it brought social anxiety, depression and physical ailments. A person working with her on this for the past few years wrote to the family this week that “this illness is a relentless and awful one”. These weren’t choices our Allison made. These weren’t weaknesses our Allison had. These were consequences, that she had no answer for. She carried these burdens quietly, with courage, to protect the people she loved. She managed this illness for a long time, but the severity of it and its impact on her gradually began to escalate, until now when it was suddenly too much for her to persevere, both physically and emotionally. Eventually, the cross she was carrying, was too much for her to bear. At times, her illness made her feel alone or misunderstood. And yet even then, she protected her family, her friends, and her teammates from the burden she carried. Her strength was not loud, but it was immense. Her Mom, Kathy, wanted us to know that Allison wanted people to learn how to just listen. How to be present. How to love someone without needing to fix them. She reminded us that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply keep going and to Just be Kind. And she did — for longer, and with more heart, than anyone could fathom. And so is the legacy she leaves behind. In the way you love others, in how you listen, in how you keep going when it’s hard — through all of you, Allison lives on. That was the hard part. The easier part is to reflect on the great memories we have of, with, Allison and all her great values. Our family grew up Allison as a child that had a constant bundle of energy, watching in admiration her accomplishments and infectious personality. Our families shared vacations, holidays and family events throughout our kid's childhood. Sometimes she was a version of a Tasmanian Devil being chased around by her parents or our kids, sometimes trying to out compete our oldest daughter Kate, despite Allison being almost 4 years younger, sometimes sitting intensely for hours, matching chess skills against our son Matt, and her always showing patience and grace to our youngest special needs daughter Emily. When Allison was in school at Louisville, she would “hang” with us sometimes at our home in Nashville, a few hours away from her campus. Sometimes she was staying with us by herself, sometimes with her friends, just hanging out before hitting downtown Nashville. In hindsight, we were just a super cheap Airbnb, that fed them. Shawn and I always felt so comfortable and happy during those visits with her. I’ll add a feeling Shawn, and I have had with the family over the past couple of weeks. Some say cardinals are messengers, signs that someone we love is still near. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I do know that Allison, as are her teammates at Louisville, was a Cardinal. And when Shawn or I see a Cardinal now, in that moment, we feel comforted – like Allison has found a way to say, “I’m OK. And you will be too” I know there was a lot of heavy things I started with, but we all do believe this is a Celebration of Allison’s life. She had so many wonderful, memorable times with so many of you that are here today. The family would like to hear some of those great stories and memories. They can all help us reflect why we are here today. To celebrate Allison. Thank you.

Allison Kathryn Zimmermann

August 15, 1996 - April 13, 2025