Patricia A. Ziemer, 86

February 20, 1939 - July 14, 2025

On July 14th, 2025, Patricia “Pat” A. Ziemer, 86, of Lancaster, PA, passed away from heart failure in her home after a long battle with multiple health complications. It happened quickly and she was with family at the time of her passing.

Pat was preceded in death by her son Brian A. Ziemer and her aunt Mildred I. Gable; she is survived by her brother Robert A. Gable, her sister Linda L. Irwin, her son Gary R. Ziemer, her daughter Wendy S. Duckett, her son-in-law John E. Duckett II, her granddaughter Sabrina K. Duckett, and her grandson Dylan B. Duckett, and her grand-cats Athena and Bella.

She was born on Feb. 20th, 1939 in Lancaster, PA to Alton L. Gable and Sarah M. (Hinton) Gable. Her father owned a Buick car dealership in Columbia, PA from 1946 to 1960, then was Manager of the leasing division at Lancaster Lincoln Mercury until his retirement in 1975. Her father remarried in 1941 to Dorothy J. (Powell) Gable of Altoona, PA; they had a son, Robert A. Gable, and a daughter, Linda L. Gable (now Irwin).

Pat attended Manheim Township High School (Class of ‘56), then went on to study Nursing at Abington Memorial Hospital Dixon School of Nursing (Class of ‘59). She had her first son, Brian A. Ziemer, in 1961 (he passed away in 1981); she married John R. Ziemer II (still living) and had her second son, Gary R. Ziemer, and her daughter, Wendy S. Ziemer (now Duckett). Growing up, she was very close to her paternal grandmother, Lydia F. Albright, and her aunt, Mildred I. Gable, and later in life she was extremely close with her granddaughter, Sabrina K. Duckett.

She worked for some time as a Registered Nurse in DePaul Hospital in St. Louis, MO. Returning to Lancaster, PA she worked as a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in a Drug & Alcohol Treatment Department, which inspired her to join the Caron Foundation Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center in Wernersville, PA working as a Drug & Alcohol Counselor, where she helped pioneer a Recovery Program in Moscow, Russia in the late 1980’s. She retired part-time and continued working as a Drug & Alcohol Counselor at White Deer Run in Lancaster until her retirement in the early 2000s.

She lived in Lancaster County for the remainder of her life, and frequented Lititz, PA; her favorite places included Caruso’s Italian Restaurant (Neffsville location), Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill, Lititz Springs Park, Lititz Public Library, and Wilbur Chocolate Factory. She was a foodie who enjoyed being a patron of local and family-owned diners and restaurants, and she had a varied palette which reflected her roots in Pennsylvania Dutch Country; locally grown fruits and vegetables, baked goods, deli meats and cheeses, chicken pot pie, hamburgers, red beet eggs, shoofly pies, sticky buns, ice cream, and most importantly, chocolate. She had a love for murder mystery novels and shows, and anything to do with animals; one of her favorite programs was “Pitbulls & Parolees” (Animal Planet), because it featured both animals and humans getting a second chance at happiness and a good life, when all they’ve know before was just the opposite. She loved listening to music of the 1950’s and 60’s, enjoyed observing flowers and nature, watching birds and squirrels come and go outside her window, and having lovely conversations with her grand-cats, Athena and Bella. She had a…peculiar…sense of humor, but it was part of her “spark” as a human being, and she always enjoyed a good laugh or an inside joke.

She lived in Pleasant View Retirement Community from 2018 until 2021, where she made many friends and was a pleasure to call neighbor by her peers. She would often bring back locally grown produce (e.g. peaches, strawberries, ears of corn, and baked goods) to share with those who lived on her floor. She made friends and acquaintances very easily, and loved to share stories of travelling, especially to other countries; she was particularly fond of Europe, having visited France, Spain, Denmark, and Poland to name a few, and she greatly enjoyed her time spent in Russia with the Drug & Alcohol Recovery Program she helped to build. In 2021, she then moved in with her family expecting to pass away from heart failure; however, after receiving a pacemaker, Pat was gifted with an additional four years with her family.

Pat continued to be curious and invested in the world of medicine and science. Pat believed in the power of scientific research in service of improving peoples’ lives, and it was her wish to donate her body to science before being cremated. Via the Science Care program, she provided a unique gift to medical researchers, educators, doctors, scientists, and medical students around the world.

Pat’s Life Celebration Service will be announced in a future posting, but is estimated to be at the end of Aug. 2025 and will be held at Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home in Lancaster, PA; please keep checking the Funeral Home’s website for the service announcement update. We respectfully require that all visitors dress in bright and cheerful colors, as a reflection of Pat’s upbeat and fun-loving personality.

In lieu of flowers, we would greatly appreciate monetary donations in Pat’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association for Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia Research. Thank you.