Annette was born on November 4, 1922, the daughter of John Anthony Simmons, Sr. and Anna Gertrude Seymour Simmons. After graduation from Biloxi High School, she trained as a registered nurse at State Charity Hospital in Jackson, MS. She married Second Lieutenant Robert Hillman Horn of Grenada, MS in 1943; Lt. Horn was killed within a few months of their marriage, while serving his country during World War II. Annette then returned to advanced nursing training at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, LA, where she received certification as a registered nurse anesthetist.
Upon completion of her training in anesthesia, Annette accepted a position at what is now the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX. She served as a nurse anesthetist during the early years of Dr. DeBakey’s tenure as chief surgeon at the VA Hospital in Houston, before returning to her hometown of Biloxi. She worked briefly at the private hospital of the late Dr. Vito Canizaro, before accepting a position at the Biloxi VA Hospital. In 1954, she married her second husband, Jim King of Monticello, MS, with whom she had five children. The family moved to Jackson in 1958, where Annette was employed by St. Dominic Hospital as a staff nurse and later as a head nurse, before her retirement in 1984.
A lifelong Roman Catholic, Annette was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Madison at the time of her death. Throughout her life, she was especially devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, for whose prayer and intercession she made many novenas. She prayed the rosary daily, was an early parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Jackson, was a faithful supporter of the Carmelite Monastery in Jackson, and made several pilgrimages to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. She was a sports fan from an early age and accompanied her parents to the 1952 World Series in New York City, where she cheered on the victory of the Yankees over the Brooklyn Dodgers. She was also a devoted fan of the Bulldogs of Mississippi State University, the alma mater of her husband Jim, her son Jimmy, and three of her grandchildren. She took a keen interest in politics and current events and enjoyed conversing on those topics, about which she always entertained strong opinions. In her later years, she enjoyed summer vacations with her family and took great joy in her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Second Lieutenant Robert Hillman Horn; her second husband, Jim King; her parents, John Anthony Simmons, Sr. and Anna Gertrude Seymour Simmons; and three sisters, Ursula Margaret Simmons Skrmetti, Mary Ellen Simmons and Anna Mae Simmons.
Survivors include her children James Dayle King and his wife Rebecca Addington King of Madison, John Simmons King and his wife Wanda Willoughby King of Flowood, Johnette King Herrington and her husband Thomas Allen Herrington of Madison, Laurie King Sheffield and her husband Dr. Paul Eugene Sheffield of Jackson, and Jimelle Elizabeth King of Madison; nine grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; her brother John Anthony Simmons, Jr. and his wife Margaret I. Simmons of Ocean Springs, MS; and many nieces and nephews.
A visitation for Annette will be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Madison, with a wake service following at 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 11:00 am, also at St. Francis, with burial following at Lakewood Memorial Park in Jackson, MS.
The family would like to thank Camellia Home Health & Hospice and Infusion Plus for their compassionate care for our mother.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Carmelite Monastery, 2155 Terry Road, Jackson, MS 39204.
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