Jack Simmons

On May 7, 2020 Jack Simmons, (Simmy, Jumpin Jack, Jacky Jack, Gramps, my Dad) died peacefully in his sleep from Covid - 19. Jack loved cherry pie, lobster, peanuts, one dip of vanilla ice cream, going to garage sales, tools, his harmonica, my mom and an ice, cold Heineken. He disliked Brussel sprouts, paperwork, and Bob Hope.

Much to my mom’s dismay, and everyone else’s delight, he was a collector. If you needed it, chances were that he had it. On Saturday mornings he held court in his huge garage loaning out tools and giving advice to other weekend warriors. He was Home Depot before Home Depot was even a thing. He was a master craftsman and plumber, who renovated not one but two homes in his lifetime. He worked harder than any man I know. Legend has it that during one of his plumbing jobs, he saved a man’s life by holding up a collapsing dirt wall.

He was never afraid to try new things – wood carving classes with Jarvis Boone or metal work with the guy down the street. He could be found wake boarding while standing on his head, water skiing with just one ski, or up on a 40-foot ladder.

On Saturday nights he shed his toolbelt and put on his dancing shoes. He would grab his wife Carole and they would glide across the floor – lost in each other. The sound of the Glenn Miller band still swirls in my head.

Sundays were truly his fun days. He loved eating popcorn, watching movies, reading history books, and an occasional high stakes game of Monopoly. On summer evenings after dinner, he could be found in the backyard teaching me the fine art of horseshoes. He built a mansion for my pet bunny Thumper – it even had a heart shaped doorway. Then there was the day he made a zip line that ran across our entire yard – he was a man ahead of his time.

Every year he made his pilgrimage to Cape Cod. He would eat Maple Walnut ice cream, fried clams, and lobster at the Lobster Pot. His days were spent on the beach looking for horseshoe crabs and any other treasure that might have washed up on the shore. He was truly relaxed by the ocean.

Jack had a lot of friends – everyone loved him. He loved practical jokes, and I loved being his accomplice. (The fake ants on the buffet at the wedding – that might have been us.)  His sense of humor came out in other ways as well. After my mom died, he took fashion advice from no one. His signature everyday look was unique. He favored neckties with chickens, Scooby - Doo and sharks, navy blue blazers, cargo shorts, shirts with lots of pockets and sneakers. I would cringe and he would say who the hell cares. Much to my delight he added homemade hats to the mix – my favorite had a bird’s nest on top complete with eggs and a mama bird. He was featured in the Daily Local Newspaper. Move over Versace for The House of Jack.

When he turned 88, he started slowing down. He enjoyed looking at pictures of his family and sharing the stories behind them. His mom was Amelia Neisel Simmons and his dad Marcus Simmons. Even though he was the youngest of six, he was mad that he had outlived his three sisters Dora, Helen, and Emma and two brothers Marcus Jr. and Bill. He was also perplexed by the fact that he outlived his army buddies John and Red and his beloved wife Carole Marie Loegler Simmons. He had one daughter Heather Lee Simmons Mount, and two grandsons Andrew and Timothy Mount.

In closing, the only other subject that really made my dad steaming mad was the fact that they had not come up with a cure for cancer. Instead of flowers donations can be made to The Children’s Cancer Research Fund – childrenscancer.org. Why kids? – they always made him smile and laugh.

Dad you are loved, and you will be missed.