Ret. CW3 Noah Raymond Wimmer

Wimmer (January 9, 1943-February 5, 2022) breathed his last breath in the mid morning of

February 5, 2022 surrounded by his family. He left behind a loving wife Mildred Elaine Wimmer

of Sylacauga, a son James Wimmer (Kelly) of Childersburg, daughters Virginia (Susie)

Wimmer-Gardner (Ed) of Sylacauga and Teri Smith (Carl) of Ozark and another whom he loved

just as his own, Karen Willis (Tommy) from Eufaula, Alabama. Our Dad died a loved and

important man. We knew our Dad always as a man in a service of his fellow men and as an avid

fisherman. He was a man of unshakable conviction. He was a man of integrity and honor that

believed in and honored his country.

Of course we, his children, didn’t know him his entire life, but we heard the stories of how he

was first a red headed little boy from a coal mining and farming family and grew up in the

beautiful hills of Virginia and West Virginia in an era where you rode a horse to the store and

you walked to school, where coal mines and plows were nearly as common as cars and tractors

if you can believe that. He talked about walking miles off the mountain in the snow to go to

school, which he quit a couple of times before returning and graduating from Whitewood. He

also received 2 degrees and received his fixed wing pilot license from Alabama Aviation and

Technical College. I trembled with fear when I had to use the outdoor facility at night on the very

homeplace this man, once a boy, ran about and played in the fields as if this kind of

backwardness meant nothing at all. I remember electricity at this house but I also remember the

mounds of coal outside to heat the home and the wood piles used to cook meals everyday in

the wood burning stove. He told how he would ride pony’s throughout the county and told stories

that sounded like stories from Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. He told of gardens that had the

richest of soil and grew the best corn, tomatoes and other vegetables; he told how not a scrap

was wasted when it came time to slaughter a chicken, pig or a cow. Even if these stories were

half true, then he certainly saw a lot is his time. In the passage of his youth, he matured through

his youth, he matured through the time of the riding horses to town, getting a car, running

moonshine and even working for one whole day in the coal mines before leaving the mountains

to join the US Army.

When I was born, my father was in Infantry in Korea for the US Army, serving around the globe

originally as Infantry, then Drill Sergeant and then attending Flight School to fly the historical

Huey helicopters. He served his country and he received multiple awards and commendations

while in the US Army: Good Conduct Metal (3d Award); National Defence Service Metal,

Armed Forces Expeditionary Metal for Korea; Army Aviator Badge and Senior Army

Aviator Badge; Vietnam Service Metal; Vietnam Campaign Medal; Army Commendation

Metal; Bronze Star Metal and the Humanitarian Service Metal. We lived in several military

installations including Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Benning,

Georgia, Fort Rucker, Alabama and as far away as Panama Canal Zone and Germany. While

he was in the US Army he was friends with my Uncle Ken and he introduced my Dad to a 14

year old southern girl with blonde hair and green eyes an Army brat from Columbus, Georgia

which he married at the tender ages of his 20 years and her 16 years and started their future

and then family 10 months later. Those were dicey times in those days, where they lived in a

trailer which is more of a camper these days, a treat was getting to play the nickel slots, a lot of

dried pinto beans and cornbread were eaten, but they worked together and were married for 58

years, 17 days shy of their 59th Wedding Anniversary.

For his job, he flew helicopters in the Army and when retired as a CW3, he became an Instructor

Pilot for the US Army and the Air Force as a Civilian Contractor and ended his career as a Flight

Commander for the Air Force. Once retired my Dad moved his focus heavily onto his favorite

past time and that was the art of Bass fishing. He loved the early morning fishing trips and

fishing tournaments. He held multiple titles of being a Director with the Alabama Bass

Federation and Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation and had so many close and life long friends like Eddie

Plemmons (Vicky), Rick Hoefle (Fay/Sharon), Mark Keltz and Jim Howard (Louise), but his

favorite fishing partner was his cousin Darrell Wimmer whom would travel to Alabama every

year from Wisconsin for a week long fishing trip where they would compete for first fish and of

course biggest fish. He directed multiple fishing tournaments including tournaments for children

and handicap individuals. He was heavily involved in the VFW and was Commander for the

VFW Post 5850 in Eufaula, AL for 3 years and a District Commander for 1 year.

Dad had a special relationship with his grandkids and loved each and everyone of them, his

grandchildren were Raine, Darby, Jade, Noah, Lexie, Parker, Shana and Shelby. He had several

brother and sisters; Gaynelle (Hobert), Betty (Joe), Anna (Joseph), Dolly (Eulis), Linda (Ron),

Billy Ray (Angie) and Timmy (Amy). He had brother in laws and sister-in-laws: Walt (Barbara),

Darlene (Ken) Tommy (Joan). He had many nieces and nephews, but ones that held a special

place in his heart were Larry (Ruby), Bonnie (Gary) and Pam. He also had special cousins and

friends from Virginia that meant a tremendous amount to him but there are too may to list, but

had very significant ones, like Ethlene (Carl) Wimmer, Rayetta Hicks, Ola Joyce Mullins and

Mike (Loretta) Lawson. My dad was proceeded in death by his Mother, Alice Wimmer

Underwood, his two sisters Betty Sanders and Gaynelle Hicks, his special Aunt Sarah and

Uncle Jim Wimmer and their daughter Helen Wimmer of Pea Patch, Virginia.

Visitation will be at Curtis and Sons Funeral Home in Sylacauga, AL on Wednesday February

9th from 5:00pm - 7:00pm, with a wake to follow at the home of the Wimmer’s. The funeral will

be at the funeral home on Thursday the 10th at 2:00pm, graveside services Tallassahatchee.

Pallbearers will be: Mike Smith, Ronnie Garner, Noah Wimmer, Carl Smith, Alec Pylant and

Charlie O’Barr. Honorary pallbearers will be Steve Smith, Larry Hicks, Parker Smith, Eddie

Plemmons, Mark Keltz and Tommy Willis.