Charles Walter Ziemer Obituary (1913 - 2009)

CHARLES WALTER ZIEMER Charles Walter Ziemer closed the last chapter of his book of earthly life experiences and stepped into eternity on November 1, 2009 at the Washington Terrace Care Center. He was born January 20, 1913 in Marriott, Utah, the son of Walter Alexander Ziemer and Loreen Elizabeth Champneys. Walter learned early the value of hard work on the family farm, caring for animals and helping to manage about 55 acres of farm land. He attended school at Mound Fort, Weber County High, Weber College and Utah State Agricultural College, from which he received his BS degree in 1938. He married Sage Gardner Sep. 17, 1937 in Cedar City, Utah. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Logan Temple. After her death in 1966 he married Laura Lorene Young in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She died in 2002. On April 1, 2004 he married Zesta T. Geisler in the Ogden Temple. After Charles earned his MS degree at the University of Maine in 1940, he obtained a graduate assistanceship at Penn State, where he earned his PhD in physical chemistry in 1944. He worked for Standard Oil's research company, Stanolind, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on a project to improve oil recovery from oil and gas condensate fields. Later he worked for Sunray DX Oil Co. and Sun Co. of Pennsylvania as a petroleum reservoir engineer; Charles explained that he could have remained at Penn State, because the professors liked his ability in the laboratory, particularly in the cryogenic equipment, "for I built high vacuum cryogenic equipment so it looked as if it came out of a factory. My experience on the farm in my youth enabled me to use my head and my hands with reasonable efficiency." After losing his first wife in 1966, Charles worked for Standard Oil of Indiana, which needed a physical chemist to work in its Tulsa laboratory doing research on increasing oil recovery from the underground oil and gas reservoirs. After three years service, he then worked as a reservoir engineer for a company which eventually merged with the Sun Oil Company of Philadelphia. His focus was on obtaining maximum oil recovery from various oil reservoirs. His background in math, physics and chemistry were all vital to his success in that work. While in Tulsa, Charles' qualifications enabled him to work full time to age 70. Then he was able to work for three years from age 75 to age 78 at Chemical Waste Management, also in Tulsa. His LDS church service included positions as branch president, bishopric, high priest group leader and home teacher. He has enjoyed these positions, as well as participating in weekly sealing sessions in the Ogden Temple. He is survived by his wife Zesta, his son Charles W. Ziemer Jr., of Peoria, IL, and daughters Ann (Robert) McGregor and Shannah (Edward) Wesemann, both of Salt Lake City, UT, one grandson and three granddaughters, and two step-daughters, Afton (Bruce) Seamons of Burley, ID and Elaine (Don) Bagley of Fruit Heights, UT. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 at 11 A.M. at the Lorin Farr Sixth Ward, 770 East 15th Street, where a viewing for family and friends will be held at 9:45 to 10:45 A.M. Burial will be held the following day, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. in the Cedar City Cemetery. The family requests that in lieu of flowers; please consider donations to the LDS Perpetual Education Fund VisitationLorin Farr 6th Ward Chapel 770 East 15th Street Ogden, UT November 4, 2009 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM ServiceLorin Farr 6th Ward 770 East 15th Street Ogden, UT November 4, 2009 11:00 AM CemeteryCedar City Cemetery 685 North Main Cedar City , UT November 5, 2009 2:00 PM