Zuzu had been a part of Grimes' past but as It's a Wonderful Life gained more attention, she gave local interviews in the 1980s and national interviews in the 1990s. After she suffered a serious financial setback during the early 2000s recession, she made a career of her advocacy for the film.
Grimes' first marriage ended in divorce, after which her ex-husband was killed in a hunting accident. Her 18-year-old son committed suicide in 1989, and her second husband died from cancer in 1994.
