April 23, 1933 – Dec. 12, 2014
Robert “Bob” Jean Simmonds, 81, of Sweet Home died on the evening of Dec. 12, 2014 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.
He was born April 23, 1933 in Indianapolis, Ind., the oldest of three children born to Robert Ross and Anna Elizabeth (Griffin) Simmonds.
As a small child, he moved with his family to Lakeview, where he lived on a working ranch and started school in a one-room schoolhouse.
Mr. Simmonds’ family moved often. He joined the Naval Reserves in 1952, while he was still in high school, serving from 1952 to 1962. In 1953, He graduated from high school in Ashland, and got his first job in a lumber mill there.
In 1955, Mr. Simmonds moved to Highland Park, Calif. In October of 1957 he met Phyllis Esther Wolfe; they fell in love and were married Sept. 21, 1958. They had two children; a daughter, Cindy, born in December 1959 and a son, Chris, born in October 1962.
Mr. Simmonds worked for various direct mailing businesses in the Los Angeles area from 1957 to 1977.
In 1977 he moved with his family to Sweet Home. He first worked for the Central Linn School District and then in 1979 he took a job with the Sweet Home School district, working as the head custodian for Oak Heights Elementary school until he retired in April of 1995.
Mr. Simmonds was an active member of the Sweet Home Evangelical church. He was very active in the various men’s activities, and especially enjoyed doing the rummage sale and Christmas tree fund-raisers.
Mr. Simmonds was an avid fisherman. He loved to fish and went on many fishing trips. He also loved to tell fish stories. His favorite place to fish was the “Broken Bridge” but anywhere they were biting was the best place to fish. He never met a stranger; he had a way of making everyone feel like a welcomed friend.
Mr. Simmonds is survived by his wife of 56 years, Phyllis Simmonds; daughter Cindy and son-in-law Steve Bergland of Adna, Wash.; son Chris Simmonds of Sweet Home; sisters Barbara Rinkle of Glendora, Calif., and Cora Gould of Chestertown, Md.; eight grandchildren; one great-grandchild and another great-grandchild on the way.
Mr. Simmonds was preceded in death by his father, Robert Ross Simmonds (Feb. 21, 1961), and his mother, Anna Elizabeth Simmonds (Aug. 25, 1974).
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Sweet Home Evangelical Church. A reception will follow.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.