Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Thank you so much for my sign today! I am so glad you know that I love you...I never needed to prove that to you or to anyone. And after my sign today, I know you feel the same way too! Thanks for watching over me and being my guardian angel. I miss you more than you will ever know, and thanks for guiding me to do the right things here on earth since you've been gone. I love you and I miss you honey.

Denise Zimmerman
Surviving Spouse of NJ State Trooper Bert Zimmerman

March 4, 2005

Bert,

I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE Both you & dad very much and I know right you you both probably needed to hear that!! I know exactly how you & dad are feeling right now. But at the same time you & dad are looking down on me with a great big smile and saying thank you! Please continue to look down on me as I need your strength and guidance right now. I know that you will send me signs to guide me in the right direction like you have already.

XOXOXOXO
Love,
Jamie

JAMIE MANOS
BERT'S SISTER

March 2, 2005

There has been so much happening, and you should really be happy knowing that there are so many people that miss and love you. All the ways that you have been honored since your accident have made everyone one of us proud to know you. The other day I know that you were overlooking us for there were just so many signs around that it was scary. Thank you for watching everyone and know that you are missed.

March 2, 2005

I just wanted to stop in and say hi and say that we all still love you and miss you very much and think of you often. you are often the topic of our conversations!

February 24, 2005

Denise,
I feel propelled to leave you a message because we both lost our husbands when we were still just newlyweds. Mike and I had been married 10 months when he was killed. Not only do we grieve for what we have lost, but we also grieve for what we never had.
God bless you and your husband. I will keep you in my thoughts.

Jennifer Waters

Jennifer Waters
Wife of Mike Waters EOW 9-11-03

February 23, 2005

well Troop... been a while since I've written... but i think of you daily....

February 23, 2005

As I read the reflection left by your wife I want to say one of the things that I completely agree with what she said was:

How you made us feel safe in the this great state of NJ.

I didn't know you personally, but would like to thank you for the sacrifices you made while patrolling NJ.

I have a son who is now in the Texas State Police Academy (due to graduate April 15th). I worried when he served in the US Marines from 1999 - 2003 and now I will worry while be serves as a State Trooper.

God Bless your wife and family!

Sheryl

February 15, 2005

Happy Valentines Day. We love and miss you very, very much.

February 14, 2005

Denise,
I am saddened by the fact that we are "police widows", but the bigger fact remains that we went from newlyweds, having the times of our lives to widows in so many short months. I often times wondered what I did to deserve such cruelty, but I finally realized it wasn't anything that Bryan and I had said or done that caused his death. Although I am thankful for every moment that I had on this Earth with him, I still grieve and mourn heavily for the lost and broken dreams that died with him. I am sincerely looking forward to meeting you at National Police week. May God bless us both with peace as we struggle with the loss of our husbands'.

Juli Verkler
Widow of Ptlm. Bryan S. Verkler EOW 12/13/03

February 13, 2005

February 10, 2004 was the last time I saw you. I hated closing that casket for the last time and not being able to see you anymore. I kept telling them "Not yet, not yet" and that I wasnt ready to close it. I was so afraid that as soon as I did, that everything that had happened since February 5 must have really happened, and that it wasnt all just a terrible nightmare.

I put many important things in your casket with you...our wedding picture, a picture of you and Jayda, my dolphin, I pinned my wedding ring over your heart, and I wrote you a letter that I tucked inside your hand. I kissed you on the nose and the forehead like you always did to me,and I told you I would love you and miss you forever.

I never did think how much you would have hated for all the troopers to see you laying there with my dolphin! I can laugh about it now knowing that you were probably embarressed! But the letter I wrote with it said it all:


Bert, I know you always made fun of me for sleeping with my dolphin. But I always felt afraid when I had to sleep alone when you were working and it made me feel safe. Now, you have to sleep alone. And I dont want you to be afraid and I want you to feel safe. I hope that you can rest peacefully.


You knew how important that dolphin was to me. My dad bought that for me when I first went away to college. I have had that for eleven years. But I chose to give it to you because you now had to sleep alone.

I am so glad that the other widows of the NJSP talked me into not burying you with your wedding ring. I have it and I got it sized to my finger and I wear it all the time. It makes me feel close to you. I didnt want you to be buried with nothing, which is why I took my wedding ring and exchanged it with yours the day of your funeral, just like we exchanged them on our wedding day.

I am proud of you for what you have accomplished in your life, and most of all, for being a true hero....not only on February 5, 2004, but everyday you put that uniform on and gave 110%. You put your life on the line each and everyday so that the people of NJ could attempt to live normally. That is a true hero.

I love you and miss you more than I can ever put into words. I have never loved anyone the way I loved you. You are my first thought when I wake up and the last when I go to bed. It may take 50 or 60 years before I will be able to be with you again, but I know for you as an angel in heaven, there is no waiting...no sense of time. So it is me who will wait until that day.

I love you and miss you honey.

Love your wife,
Denise

Denise Zimmerman
Surviving Spouse of NJ State Trooper Bert Zimmerman 02-05-04

February 10, 2005

Bert,

Yesterday Jenna celebrated her 6th birthday! It was really tough because every year on the kid’s birthdays you always made sure you called them to tell them happy birthday. It’s tough because every year Jenna’s birthday will always be 3 days after you left us. But no matter how sad I am or how much I miss you I will always make sure her birthday is special. Yesterday Jenna asked me mommy do you think Uncle Bert knows it’s my birthday. I told her of course he does and I’m sure him and grandpop are up in heaven singing happy birthday to you. I know just how special she was to you and how special you were to her. You were the best Uncle & Godfather to her. You were and always will be a very special person to her. I will NEVER let her forget you.

We got Jenna a new bedroom set for her birthday. Yesterday after picking it up and putting it up in her room I realized that the bed she chose reminds me so much of the one that you had built when you still lived at moms. So I guess you can say she thinks just like you. The kids are getting so big and have changed so much since you last saw them. But I know that wherever you are that you see how big they got. I sit and still here you say YO BOBBY!!!

Remember that Jenna & Bobby miss and love you very much!!! Please continue to be their guardian angel. Always look out for them and keep them safe. I know that when I’m not with them their ok because they always have you and dad looking out for them. I love and miss you very much!

XOXOXOXO
Love,
Jamie

JAMIE MANOS
BERT'S SISTER

February 9, 2005

God bless your soul and may God watch over your wife for all of eternity.

Rest Peacefully Brother

Officer
NJ State Probation

February 8, 2005

Bert:

I can't believe it's been one year. We all talk about your outgoing personality and being the life of the party. When I think of your being gone, I put in the Videos of Berni and Carol's wedding and there you are big as life. Tell your Dad I said Hi, we miss him too very much. Your both in my prayers and thoughts always. Look over us all please and God Bless You. Sorry the Eagles lost but there's always next year.

Love
Aunt Dorothy

Dorothy Sapio

February 7, 2005

bert.....this game is for you today!!!!

February 6, 2005

Today is Super Bowl Sunday!! My Pittsburgh team lost, but I will root for the Eagles in honor of Bert. GO EAGLES!!!!!!

Denise, may God hold you in the palm of his hand and comfort you.

New Jersey Native

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Wife of 716

February 6, 2005

BERT YOU ARE IN MY THOUGHTS THIS WEEKEND. AND THE DAYS OF LAST YEAR. I WENT TO THE CEMETARY YESTERDAY, AND TALKED WITH A FRIEND OF YOURS WHO WAS THERE WHEN I GOT THERE. OUR CONVERSATION MADE ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER. STORIES OF YOU FROM LONG AGO. THAT IS THE BERT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER.
DENISE YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS AND HOPE YOUR GETTING THROUGH THIS WEEKEND WITH SOME COMFORT.
GO EAGLES! I MISS YOU BERT!

LORRAINE

February 6, 2005

Denise,
I'm sure you've heard the phrase "I can't believe it's been a year" a million times today. But it's the truth. I must say that although Bert was not the first person I knew that passed away, watching you go through the grieving process so closely was definitely a first. I guess that's because often times we spend more time with our co-workers than we do with our own families & old friends. Through this last year, I've learned alot from you. You are definitely a braver and stronger person than I could ever be in your situation. Today, you accomplished another impossible task. It is evident how much you love Bert, and how proud you are of him. Like I've told you before, I won't say that it will get easier because I'm not in your shoes, and I don't know what you & Bert had. Only a husband & wife know that. But I will say that I'll continue to pray that the worst is behind you.

Love,
Tricia

Tricia Mathis
Friend/Co-worker of Denise

February 5, 2005

Rest in peace Trooper Zimmerman. You will not be forgotten.

Officer
Md. Nat'l Cap Park Police

February 5, 2005

Bert,
Never in a million years did I think you would be taken so soon. You were always the light of the party. I was watching my wedding video this week and there you were dancing and singing with the rest of us. While watching the video, I told Brian how your anniversary was coming up and we both just could not believe it has been a whole year. We love you and miss you. You are in our thoughts.
Love,
Cousin Carol

Cousin Carol

February 5, 2005

Bert,
Keep looking out for everyone. You are sadly missed every day. You'll never be forgotten.

February 5, 2005

Bert---It is still hard to believe what happened one year ago today. It all seems like a bad nightmare. We still wonder how this could happen to such a great person. The other day we came a across a poem that quickly summarized the kind of person that you were. It is called I'm glad you are in my dash. Bert--You are the symbol of what every person should be. You sacrificed your life so that we can live in a safer world.

I'M GLAD YOU ARE IN MY DASH---

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on his tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came his date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
(1971-2004)

For that dash represents all the time
That he spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved him
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars....the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this special dash
May last only a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Bert--You are a true hero, you had the ultimate dash. One that will never be forgotten!! Love Jeff and Shannon Heaney

JEFF AND SHANNON HEANEY

February 5, 2005

We love and miss you. You will be in our hearts forever!!

February 5, 2005

Police officers prayer
Strengthen me today, dear Lord and help me keep in mind The laws that You created For the world that You designed. May I stand for justice So one day crime may cease, And let me serve all people so they may live in peace.

February 5, 2005

Bert,

Thinking about you and your family today and everyday. Keep watch over them as they go through this difficult time.

February 5, 2005

On the 1st anniversary if your passing, I wanted to let the Zimmerman family, especially Denise, know that you are not forgotten, nor will you be.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Denise, you are truly amazing to me and I hope you are able to find a little comfort knowing how many people have you and Bert in their thoughts.

Ptl.
Glassboro, NJ

February 5, 2005