
Aymee Zimmerman shares her son Joseph Ermel's legacy at EAA Airventure (Photo by Terry Kovarik, WHBY)
OSHKOSH, WI — Aviation was a way of life for Joseph Ermel. At 16, he earned his pilot license through the EAA Young Eagles program. Last October, Ermel was killed in a motorcycle crash while attending Southern Illinois University. His mother Aymee Zimmerman, a fellow EAA member, is at Airventure 2022 keeping her son’s memory alive. She gives away key chains and wristbands with his motto: “Do your impeccable best”, which Zimmerman says Joseph lived by.
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Zimmerman says less than a year after Joseph’s death, sharing his story at the Young Eagle’s barn is therapeutic.
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An Adirondack chair was decorate by Aymee’s father with Joseph’s picture, his favorite sayings and Scripture verses that Zimmerman hopes will inspire.
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You can learn more about Joseph Ermel’s story at joepilot615.org