District Court Judge Tricia Zimmer died Saturday, after a battle with cancer. Zimmer was sworn in as a judge in Lyon County in 2018.

MARSHALL — A Lyon County District Court judge leaves behind a legacy of kindness and dedication to her work, colleagues of Judge Tricia Zimmer said Monday.

Zimmer died Saturday at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester where she had been battling cancer. She was 54.

“Judge Zimmer will be deeply missed,” said District Court Judge Michelle Dietrich, who worked with Zimmer in Lyon County court. “She brought integrity, reliability and amazing dedication to her work as a judge.”

Zimmer started her legal career in Lyon County, interviewing with past District Court Judges George Marshall and George Harrelson to become a legal clerk. Over the years, she would go on to serve as an adjunct professor at Southwest Minnesota State University, as Assistant Lyon County Attorney, and as vice president of human resources at North Star Mutual Insurance Company.

After Judge Leland Bush retired in 2018, Zimmer was appointed as a judge in Minnesota’s Fifth Judicial District by Gov. Mark Dayton. The Fifth Judicial District, which includes Lyon County District Court, covers a total of 15 counties in southwestern and southern Minnesota.

The people who worked with Zimmer in Lyon County District Court said her leadership and work ethic stood out. Court Administrator Aimee Primus said it was Zimmer who swore her in as administrator of Lincoln and Lyon County courts in 2021.

“I had the privilege of working closely with Judge Zimmer for nearly five years,” Primus said Monday. “She was always welcoming and kind, and she led with grace and integrity every day. She was a tremendous role model to me and my team.”

Lyon County Attorney Abby Wikelius said Zimmer was a dedicated public servant even before being sworn in as a judge. Zimmer was a founding member of Lyon County’s drug treatment court, Wikelius said.

“She was a hard worker, and she took pride in her work,” Wikelius said.

Zimmer’s death was “a huge loss” for the area legal community, she said.

Cecil Naatz, a recently retired public defender in southwest Minnesota, said that when Zimmer was with the county attorney’s office she was a fair prosecutor in court.

“She was a very competent, very knowledgeable person,” Naatz said. “You could take her at her word . . . if she made an offer, it was an offer.”

Naatz said he remembered encouraging Zimmer to apply to be a judge after he heard Bush was retiring.

Naatz said Zimmer took her work as a judge seriously and she had a good demeanor in court.

“She was fair, firm, and cordial,” he said.

“I thought she handled the courtroom extremely well,” said Bill Toulouse, an attorney practicing in Marshall. Toulouse said Zimmer had patience, but she also had the ability to tell people if they were out of line in court. Zimmer was also a hard worker and had well thought-out legal arguments, he said.

“She tried to make good decisions and follow the law,” he said.

Zimmer also had a history of involvement in the Marshall area community. She was a volunteer for the United Way of Southwest Minnesota, a past member of Marshall’s Police Advisory Board and the Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation board.

Dietrich said Zimmer “always went above and beyond” what was expected of her in her work.

“I will miss her not just as a colleague, but as a friend,” Dietrich said.

Primus said Lyon County District Court currently has a senior judge who is helping to cover some of the county court calendars through the end of September. To fill the vacancy Zimmer leaves behind, the Minnesota Governor’s Office will need to go through a selection process to appoint a new judge.

Services for Zimmer will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Marshall. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. at the Horvath Remembrance Center in Marshall. Visitation will continue from 9:30 to 10:30 Thursday at the Remembrance Center.