Frederick Simmons, also known as Fred, Freddie, and Sunny, passed away on 12/19/2025 and has joined my mom in heaven at the age of 87. He will be missed by so many people. Frederick was a man who could make friends so easily. He had an interesting life and had so many stories to tell. Even now, I cannot begin to remember them all, and I know there were more he would have told if he had been able and we had the time.

He sang beautifully in a boy’s chorus in his youth, loved to fish and bowl, and had many jobs at grocery stores and a pharmacy. He played trombone in the MCHS Band and later professionally. He was also Drum Major at Muncie Central, where he met Sandra, who was a majorette. Later, he attended Ball State and Married Sandra. They soon had two daughters, Pamela Robbins and Karen Conwell.

He had lots of talents, jobs, and was very mechanically inclined. One of those jobs was a TV repairman, back when we didn’t throw them away when they broke down. He got a job at Chevrolet Muncie and eventually became a traffic manager. From that time on, he got degrees and certificates from DePauw and GM Tech, a technical college in Michigan. When he retired, they had to split his position into four different jobs because no other person could do all the things that he could.

Fred made Christmas fun and took our family on many enjoyable vacations, including to the World's Fair, Tri Lakes, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the lakes. We have great memories of those; he also took Sandra and Karen to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, too. Later, he and Sandra went on vacation with Pamela's kids, Traci and Lee. He always enjoyed visiting them when they lived in Michigan. Sandra and Fred would bring red balloons from Bob Evans and spend the night, with all of them in the same hide-a-bed. What a hoot!

Many years later, he enjoyed sitting and talking with his grandkids on Pamela’s porch and on Karen’s couch. He also loved his dogs and cats over the years, and his fish in his pond, some of which were named because they were so loved.

Fred loved to laugh and make others laugh. On the day he passed, one of his caregivers, Kate, came to tell me how wonderful he was and how they always laughed when they saw each other. She said even on that very day, they shared a laugh! (She was his favorite)

Fred was a thoughtful, caring, and giving man, and he was grateful for the love of his family.  He could be irritating at times because he was so strong-willed and wanted things his way, which wasn’t always possible. (I know that’s on me, but I just wanted what was best for him.) He helped me practice patience.

Fred was kind-hearted and philanthropic. Many of his donations were made anonymously, locally. Some were delivered personally. Other charities received gifts by mail.

There was a twinkle in his clear blue eyes for all those he loved. Most of all, he loved his family and God. He suffered through many years of health issues, but always had hope. Eventually, his body just gave out. It is hard to fathom how he did it for so long. He now has his reward, and we rejoice in that with him.

Special thanks to all of the people who prayed for Frederick at Union Chapel and Fountain Square, especially, and to the ones who attended to his needs at Waters Edge. A very special thanks to Pastor Steve Graves, who performed a baptism for Fred and afterwards for Karen. What a beautiful day that was. We are very grateful and blessed. Finally, I want to say how blessed we have been to call Fred Simmons, Dad, Grampa, Great-Grampa, and Friend. We are grateful for his love, his life. We will all miss him dearly.