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 Jacob Gerend Sr., one of Sheboygan's
pioneer residents, founded Zimmer Funeral
Home of Sheboygan in 1878. In those early
days, Mr. Gerend had to build his own coffins,
which was the custom at that time. His
son Jacob Jr. entered the company business
in 1886 eventually being devoted to furniture
and undertaking. Raymond Gerend began management
of the Gerend Funeral Home in 1935, selling
the business to John Habermann in 1965.
John Habermann owned and operated the Gerend-Habermann
Funeral home for thirty-one years. In 1988,
John began construction on Sheboygan's
only Funeral Home designed and built in
the last half of the twentieth century.
The beautiful and spacious Funeral Home
offers state of the art technology in design
and efficiencies. Mark Zimmer, current
owner of the Funeral Home moved to the
Sheboygan area in 1983. At that time John
Habermann was providing professional services
at the former Ahrens Funeral Home in Howards
Grove, a rural village north of the city.
Mr. Zimmer and Mr. Habermann became associated
at that time, working together at the two
funeral homes. John Habermann sold his
interest in the Habermann Funeral Home
to Mark in 1996. John retired in 1997,
and passed away in 2001. Since 1996, Zimmer
Funeral Home of Sheboygan continues the
traditions started by the Jacob Gerend
Family in 1878, providing residents with
the highest standards of service only an
independently owned funeral home can provide. |
 Walter Ahrens
Walter was born in Sheboygan on July 8, 1896. He graduated from the Marquette School of Funeral Service in Milwaukee, obtaining his Funeral Directors License in 1918. He apprenticed in Sheboygan at the former Kroos Funeral Home where he worked for 11 years, eventually becoming the manager.
 Walter
opened a furniture store, grocery store
and funeral home in Sheboygan Falls with
his brother, where he operated for 16
years, and did the same in Howards Grove,
eventually moving the Funeral operation
into what was at that time, a state of
the art Funeral facility (see the
news clip below on the right) in September 1929. Walter remained
an active Funeral Director over 60 years,
passing away in 1979.
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| Gerend
Habermann Funeral Home from 1942
until 1988 |
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John Habermann
1932 - 2001 |
| John began his carrier in funeral
service as a director with the Hafemeister
Funeral Home of Watertown. In 1965,
he purchased the former Gerend Funeral
Home in Sheboygan. John provided
caring service to the community for
over thirty years as owner of the
Gerend Habermann Funeral Home until
he sold the firm to Mark Zimmer in
April of 1996. John retired in August
of 1997. |
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