of Conway, AR

January 15, 1938 - September 15, 2025

Leland H. "Yogi" Zimmerman, Sr., 87, of Conway, Arkansas went to be with his late wife, Marguerite on the 15th day of September 2025. He was born on January 15, 1938 in Stuttgart, Arkansas to Alva and Lillian (nee Herndon) Zimmerman.

Known since boyhood as ''Yogi'', he was a graduate of Ouachita Baptist College, where he met his beloved Marguerite (nee Fielding), to whom he was married for 60 years. During that time, he served with the Arkansas National Guard and was mobilized by then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower to enforce court-ordered desegregation at Little Rock's Central High School, an experience of which he spoke with pride.

A Certified Public Accountant, he worked for accounting firms large and small and retired as the comptroller for the City of North Little Rock Electric Department. After retirement he was ordained as a Baptist minister, a calling to which his strong faith drew him and performed several marriages.

An enthusiastic outdoorsman, he enjoyed camping, canoeing and backpacking and one of his fondest memories was a backpacking trip he took with friends to the Teton Mountains. He served as a Scoutmaster and coached youth baseball and football (in which he was known for his emphasis on the importance of the form tackle). In his later years he enjoyed gardening and landscaping, was a fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Ouachita Tigers, Vilonia Eagles, Stuttgart Ricebirds and was continually disappointed by his Dallas Cowboys.

A firm believer in the power of education, which lifted him out of poverty, he and Marguerite put all four sons through college, no matter the financial sacrifice, including several years with two boys in college at the same time.

He is survived by his sons, Dee and his wife, (Belynda), Lee (Kim), Tim (Pam) and Roy (Meleia). He had twelve grandchildren: Zach, Zane, Sami, Nicholas, Christopher James, April, Susan, Christopher Joe, Matthew, Reagan, Presley and Sloan. He had five great-grandchildren: Jack, Ginevra, Aubrey, Austin and Elizabeth, as well as a host of nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his brother, Walter and sister, Kathie Brown (Sid) and was preceded in death by grandchildren, Madelaine and Aaron and brothers, Alva, Tommy, Victor and sisters, Lillian Dinwiddie and Patricia Herrington.

He was a member of the Sunny Gap Baptist Church in Conway.

Graveside Services will be held on Tuesday, September 23rd at 2:00 p.m. at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to organizations that support conservation, such as the National Park Foundation, Leave No Trace Center and Sierra Club.

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