Have you ever met someone who was fiercely independent with a mind of their own, but who would do anything for the people he cares about? Someone who was tough with a heart so soft and full of love?

Caden William Zimmerman, 23, a resident of Evans, Colorado, was that person for his parents, family and friends. Sadly, for his friends, family, and co-workers, Caden made the decision to leave behind his emotional Earthly pain December 26th, 2024. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

Born August 6, 2001 in Sterling, Logan County, Colorado, Caden had a fun-loving adventurous spirit. He attended Akron High School graduating in 2020. He was amember of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)* and he participated in a wide variety of sports including soccer, football, wrestling, cross-country, and track. He especially enjoyed paint ball.

Music was also a love of Caden’s and he enjoyed playing the trumpet, trombone, and guitar. His love of different types of music ranged from classic rock to country and even to some harder metal alternative music. When he was younger, he even loved to put on a suit and go to the dinner theatre.

Caden was very selective in who he trusted and called friends. Those he did choose to trust were like family to him. He loved to spend time with the McKay family on special occasions and to ride four wheelers, they were his second family. He developed life-long friendships wherever he went. In Akron he had classmates he cherished. In Severance, he met his long-time best friend, Robby who he loved to ride motorcycles with and go on adventures, Robby was his right-hand man. Caden also met his good friends Cale and Clayton at this time.

Through gaming he met people all over the world and got to meet his good friend Grant when he went to New York. There he was also adopted by another lovely friend, Cali and her family. In the military he really bonded with his Sniper Team with great guys like Cory, Chris, James and all the sniper team. He was very proud that he was 2nd in his sniper class on his first attempt. He cherished these friendships even over family at times and his family is most grateful for the roles that each of his friends played in Caden’s life.

Caden loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor. He loved to be outdoors, take pictures, and go on adventures to places he had never been before. He was very excited to join the Army and served at Fort Drum in the 10th Mountain 1st Battalion 32nd infantry regiment. He served one tour overseas in Syria where his military career was cut short due to heart issues. Upon returning home, Caden had dreams of becoming a helicopter pilot.

Caden is survived by his mother Tammy Zimmerman, siblings Billie, Brett, Kyle and Levi Porterfield and his many aunts, uncles, and cousins and his many amazing friends. He is preceded in death by his father, James Porterfield, his grandparents Earl and Rita Zimmerman, and Jack and Dee Porterfield and other loving family members.

A Rosary will be held Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating Caden’s life will follow at 11:00 a.m. followed by a luncheon to share memories of Caden. Viewing will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., also at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Memorial donations may be made to the Veteran’s Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/donate/
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*The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization (CTSO) headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA High School"), middle school ("FBLA Middle School"), and college ("FBLA Collegiate”) students, as well as professional members ("FBLA Network"), who primarily help students transition to the business world. FBLA is one of the largest student organizations in the United States, with more than 200,000 members, and the largest career student organization in the world. Local FBLA chapters are often connected to their school's business education department, and most advisers are business education teachers. FBLA is one of the top 10 organizations listed by the U.S. Department of Education.[2] FBLA's national charity partner is the March of Dimes, and the March of Dimes provides grants of $1,000 for local chapters and $2,500 for state chapters to promote their goals.