Gabe Zimmerman, the director of community outreach for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, died January 8, 2011 in the shooting outside a Tucson supermarket.

Zimmerman handled thousands of issues raised by constituents out of the congresswoman’s offices in Tucson and Sierra Vista, and was one of the Giffords staffers who organized many public events where voters could meet Giffords and talk to her about issues.

Co-workers say Zimmerman, who had a master’s degree in social work, cared passionately about helping people. Zimmerman’s mother, Emily Nottingham, said politics was a good fit for him because it combined policy and making a difference for others.

“He had a real interest in helping people and had a real caring for social justice,” Nottingham said.

Zimmerman, who was engaged, had set a wedding date for 2012.

Read the obituary on Legacy.com.