Obituary of Vernon Eugene Simms

Vernon Eugene Simms was born on November 9th , 1938 in Gordon, Nebraska. He passed away on July 10th at Manor Care Skilled Nursing Center after a long illness. He is survived by his loving wife of thirty years, Paula Carpenter Simms. His sister, Judy Simms Capponi and her husband Dennis Capponi; two brothers, Richard Simms and his wife Sherry Simms; Larry Simms and his wife Donna Simms all of Washington state. He is survived by six children, Sherrie Simms Clipse and her husband Ronald Clipse; Randy Simms, Troy Simms, Tina Simms Quinn and her husband Jay Quinn; Michelle Lynn Reitmajer and Sabrina Nicole Simms. He is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his oldest son, Danny Vernon Simms; a daughter, Tammy Simms; his father; Walter Vernon Simms; his mother Mary Oma Moss Simms and one granddaughter Tonya. Vernon often told stories of his early life; living on the farm, with his parents, in Nebraska. He told of winters with the snow so deep they couldn’t get to the livestock to feed them. He would shake his head sadly over loosing a cow one moment then go on to laugh about a cow coming into the house and his father saying, “don’t knock the baby over”. It was a hard life in those times; but one he remembered with happiness. Often he would long for those “good old days”. He worked in the fiberglass industry most of his life. He loved boats and everything that was associated with them. He liked nothing more than testing a new boat to see what it was capable of. He often said, boats have to be about safety first; as he skimmed the top of the water; urging the boat to greater speeds. He was so proud when his youngest daughter’s first sentence was; “Go Daddy boat!” He loved to tell that story. He also told the story of getting caught out at sea in a bad storm. He had two daughters and his wife with him. The oldest girl was on deck helping to fight the wheel, at least he let her think she was helping, while the baby was below deck with her mother, squealing in delight when the boat would pitch and threaten to roll over. As much as he loved boats; his true love was music. Vernon started playing guitar when he was child, taught by his uncle and encouraged by his family. As a young man he started a country band and spent his adult life playing in clubs. He met many famous singers in his time, he even sat in with some of the bands. These were some of his happiest memories. Family and friends will always remember him playing his guitar and singing their favorite country songs around the campfires. We should all be thankful for the special moments that Vernon has left us. I know that Vernon will continue to live on in our hearts and minds. When we are at the lake and we here the familiar sound of a power boat, it will make us smile. We’ll hear a familiar song and remember He had a magnificent voice. He lives on in our memories.