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.
Zimmerman says less than a year after Joseph’s death, sharing his story at the Young Eagle’s barn is therapeutic.
An Adirondack chair was decorate by Aymee’s father with Joseph’s picture, his favorite sayings and Scripture verses that Zimmerman hopes will inspire.
You can learn more about Joseph Ermel’s story at joepilot615.org
