Vickie A. Fitzsimmons

"The old dreams were good dreams. They never worked out but I'm glad I had them." Robert James Waller


With great sadness we announce the passing of Vickie Adele Fitzsimmons on September 6th, 2017 at the age of 59.

She is survived by her daughters Ashley Pressly and Kelsey Grosserhode, her sister Valarie (Fitzsimmons) Rathke and husband, Jim of Jonestown, TX, niece, Pamela Snodgrass and husband Luis Soto of Denver, CO, nephew, Nolan and wife Lesa Rathke of Jonestown, TX, her husband of 20 years Wilbur Hoerl, and numerous relatives and extended family in Nebraska.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, September 23rd at 2pm in the Chapel at Penwell-Gabel funeral home in Olathe, Kansas. Info: www.penwellgabelolathe.com or (913)768-6777.

Vickie was born in Fullerton, NE on August 22, 1958. Vickie was a proud Navy brat, and she and her family had the adventurous experience of living in numerous locations throughout the US. This was why Vickie was so patriotic as she loved decorating her house every Independence Day.

Vickie attended Fullerton High School and graduated from Auburn High School in Nebraska. Vickie continued her education at Nebraska Weslyan University in Lincoln, NE.

On October 11, 1980 Vickie married Wayne Grosserhode until his untimely death in 1994. Two children were born to this union, Ashley and Kelsey. Vickie married Wilbur Hoerl on November 15, 1997.

Vickie worked as a Corporate and Special Event Coordinator for Centel and Sprint for several years in Nebraska and Chicago, IL. Vickie was an avid collector of vintage WWII pinup girl memorabilia and the artwork of Gil Elvgren. The love of Elvgren's artwork sparked her development of an online community forum for collectible, vintage Zippo lighter collectors. The Zippo Enthusiast Network (ZEN) has well over 3,000 active members all over the world today thanks to Vickie's vision. She was also the owner and designer of pinup girl lighters and zlighters.com. Vickie was an excellent baker and we will miss her famous snickerdoodles and baklava.

Vickie was preceded in death by her father William E. Fitzsimmons, mother Betty (Nauenburg) Fitzsimmons, brother Timothy F. Fitzsimmons, husband Wayne H. Grosserhode, her paternal grandparents William F. & Pearl Daisy (Kershaw) Fitzsimmons, and her maternal grandparents Lee & Ida Florence (Roark) Nauenburg.





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