TORRINGTON – Gwen Ann (Jones) Zimmerer Clutter, 87, went to be with her Lord on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, at her home in Torrington. Cremation has taken place and her Celebration of Life Memorial service will be held in the spring at the Table Mountain Vineyard near Huntley. Memorials may be given in Gwen’s memory to the Torrington Volunteer Fire Department. Colyer Funeral Home assisted the family with the cremation arrangements.
Gwen Ann was born Aug. 14, 1930, north of Morrill, Neb., to Charley Wilbur Jones and Esther Grace (Garrett) Jones. She attended a country school south of Morrill and Huntley High School.
She moved with her parents and siblings to the Huntley community Dec. 25, 1941. She helped in the Jones Potato Warehouse. In her younger years, she played on a softball team, ice skated and was in the SYZ 4-H Club.
In 1947 her Hereford steer was Reserve Champion at the Goshen County Fair. Gwen showed her registered Shorthorn steer at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo. She received the Grand Champion Showmanship Trophy at the 40th National Western Stock Show and she was on the livestock judging team. Gwen showed her 4-H calves throughout the Wyoming and Nebraska area for many years and won awards on her livestock, sewing and cooking projects.
On Feb. 21, 1948, she was united in marriage to Robert Ferd Zimmerer at the Huntley Presbyterian Church. The couple lived, farmed and raised cattle on the Zimmerer homestead southeast of Huntley. The family took trips to Charley and Esther Jones’ cabin by the Pacific Creek near Moran. These fishing, boating, hunting, and sledding activities were cherished times. Her and Bob were later divorced. Donald Dean Clutter married Gwen March 27, 1971, at Huntley and she was employed as a secretary at the Huntley School and then she worked for the Kansas Nebraska Gas Company in Torrington. She assisted Dean in his shoe shop business. She retired and they went traveling.
Gwen was a member of the Huntley Presbyterian Church and the Goshen County Wagon Train Group. Dean and Gwen took their mules and buckskin horses on the Cheyenne to Deadwood Trail over several years. They and many family members took wilderness trips on horses up into the Teton and Yellowstone wilderness areas. They camped and fished for weeks. Also, they rode horses down the Grand Canyon twice and back packed the Big Bend area in Texas. They and their children many times went fishing in Charley’s boat on the Yellowstone Lake, and hunted moose and elk by Charley and Esther’s cabin.
Gwen’s hobbies were gardening, growing beautiful flowers, reading, playing the piano, bird watching, putting puzzle pieces together and crossword puzzles. She hosted many large family dinners over the years. Gwen adored her family and get-togethers were filled with fabulous food, stories, water skiing weekends and laughter. She was famous for her pumpkin pies, pudding and fried chicken. She canned and froze vegetables from her garden. Gwen especially enjoyed walking around town with her dog Bailey.
Gwen is survived by her sons Bruce and Lorie Zimmerer and Don and Tammy Zimmerer of Huntley, and David and Nancy Zimmerer of Lingle; daughter Janet and Jack Reisig of Lander; sisters Beverly and Jack Babcock of Moran, , Sharon Knutson of Baton Rouge, La.; brother Ronald and Helen Jones of San Antonio, Texas; eight grandchildren: Stacie Polson, Sarah Crockett, Brian Reisig, Patrick Zimmerer, Amie Haass, Mallory Bond, Mackenzee Zimmerer and Zachary Zimmerer; 10 great-grandchildren, two step-sons Monty and Janice Clutter of Douglas, and Joe and Henrietta Clutter of Torrington; two step-daughters Lola Sowards and Elaine Rush of Torrington; 20 step-grandchildren; 33 step-great grandchildren; and three step-great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands Robert Zimmerer in 1996 and Dean in 2006; brother Chuck Jones in 1999; sister Wanda “Charlene” Hill in 1995; sister-in-law Eleanore Jones in 2016. brothers-in-law Gene “Dude” Hill in 2002, and Jerry Knutson; step-daughter Paula Matthews and step-son-in-law Leroy Sowards.
