Michelle Marie Simms

My mom was born in Kitzingen, Germany on August 4, 1966 while her dad was stationed there with the army. She lived there with her mom and dad and two sisters for two years. My mom had me in 1987 and married David Goodwin shortly thereafter. She then became the proud mom of twin boys, Daryl and Daniel and a few years later her youngest son Sean was born.

She worked and enjoyed driving a school bus for the Peoria Unified School District for 10 years! The kids made her job so enjoyable and gratifying. She made several good lifetime friends there as well. Mom truly enjoyed spending time with her family and laughing and living life to the fullest. Mom married Jeff Simms, the love of her life when we were teenagers. They had a full life together with never a dull moment until sadly; he passed a few months ago.

My mother’s all time proudest moment was becoming a Nana to my son Justin! She worshiped the ground he walked on and couldn’t spend enough time with him. She was a strong, beautiful woman who put up a fight against the cancer monster for 5 + years!

She was loved and will be deeply missed by many friends as well as family!

I love and will miss you mom!

Melanie Green

Mom was one of a kind. People say that all the time, but in this instance it’s the truth. She was generous, happy, infinitely loving, and forgiving. There is a small emptiness in all the hearts she has touched, now that she is no longer with us. There will be a small piece of our hearts forever torn by her departure. Though her spirit will be felt from time to time, no feeling can replace her physical presence.

She carried herself with a candid “love me or leave me alone” outlook through life. She was always concerned about what people thought of her, but did not let it run her life. Keeping up appearances was important to her. My mother could touch someone with one glance. She was a loyal friend to anyone who knew her. If anyone she knew was feeling pain, she felt it too. Though she loved to put on a straight face and strong persona, she was right there if you needed to vent and/or cry, and she’d cry too. She could light up a room with her presence. No matter what she was going through, physically or emotionally, she made it look good, with her unwavering beauty. She was the most persuasive person I knew. She had this certain look; she’d give, as if the lord himself were coming to smite you. At that moment, you knew you had to jump, or you were doomed. Anyone who has known her long enough knows exactly what I’m talking about. She definitely kept us in line. When there were family quarrels, she’d always fix the problem, no matter how big or small. That will definitely be missed. I’d always give her a hard time about her extremely extensive teddy bear and doll collection, but she was proud of it. Every time she’d find another one to add to the collection, she’d ask, do notice anything different? As if, I kept count. But, that made her happy. Here lately, what made her happiest was seeing the smile on the face of her baby boy. No matter how blue she was feeling, every time she was with him, the world was a better place. Some say, when your physical self leaves this place, that’s all there is, that’s where it ends. I think I can speak for the masses when I say, I disagree. There will always be a time when we feel her spirit, sending us a message. She’ll be sitting there beside us, at our gloomiest times, saying “you can do it… just a few more steps.” This isn’t good bye, Mom.... For now, this is, see you later, one day. We love you Mom, We’ll miss you.

Daryl Goodwin

My mother was no ordinary mother, she was a hero and inspiration to so many, especially me. I could talk about how it made me feel when I first found out she was diagnosed with Cancer my senior year of high school and every cancer after that, but I won’t because its not how me or anyone should remember her. we should all instead remember her for her strength and will to survive no matter what, thus inspiring us all to push ourselves daily and never take anything for granted.

Saying she had a heart of gold would not quite put it into perspective, not to mention would be quite cliche, and she was definitely far from being cliche. She would do almost anything for anyone that needed her help,especially her children and grand child. She was always just a call or drive away. She was always there for emotional support for my wife, when it would become too much for her to deal with me or my career. She will always be loved dearly and missed by all who knew her. May we never forget her and our memories with her.

Sean Goodwin