Grace "Bobbie" Simmons

GRACE "BOBBIE" SIMMONS 3/27/1922 - 11/13/2011 A good and faithful servant to her Lord and Savior, Bobbie devoted her life to her family and church. Born Grace Robertson Hughes in Globe, AZ, Bobbie and her sisters, "the Hughes Girls", arrived in the Riverside area when Bobbie was six years old. Her mother worked in an orange-packing plant while the girls went to school. As soon as school was out for the Summer, Bobbie would use her father's railroad pass and ride the rails with one or more of her sisters; up the west coast to Seattle, over the Rockies to Yellowstone and Banff, or across the country through Chicago to Maine. On one such trip she caught the eye and the wry smile of a skinny 16-year old ball player in Douglas, AZ. Bobbie, then 13, somehow convinced her father to let her stay in Douglas for the next school year. The good air? Close to dad? Dad didn't even know it was because of that Simmons kid. Bobbie eventually returned to Riverside and kept in touch with Bill through correspondence. Bobbie graduated from Riverside Poly in 1939, and married her sweetheart just before her 19th birthday in March 1941. Within months, the Army sent Bill to the Philippines. By their first anniversary, he was in a foxhole on Bataan. Over the next three and a half years, Bill went through the infamous "death march," POW camps, hell ships and slave labor as a prisoner of war, while Bobbie battled on the home front, working for Ma Bell while getting little information on Bill from the War Department. Their enduring faith through these years was rewarded when they were reunited after the war. Bobbie continued her unwavering support of and singular devotion to Bill and his various endeavors for the next 53 years, from Ham radio to barbershop quartets, while traveling the globe-mainly to PONY baseball events-in the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Russia and the U.S, They lived briefly in Hawaii and returned often, especially to volunteer for the Ironman Triathlon. After Bill's death in 1998, Bobbie visited a few times but it wasn't the same without him. He was dearly missed. Now she will be dearly missed. Preceded in death by the love of her life, William R. "Bill" Simmons, sisters Mary Hughes, Clara Ellen Asbell, and Alleen Schlicter. Survived by her sister Freda Madole, Corona; daughter Patricia "Patty" Goodwin (Royce), Moreno Valley; son Russ Simmons, Huntington Beach; former daughter-in-law Cindy Soma (Mark), Lake Forest; grandsons Ryan Goodwin (Jamie), Petaluma, Chad Goodwin, Moreno Valley, Ralph Simmons, Torrance, Trip Simmons, Torrance, Sean Simmons, Huntington Beach; great-grandchildren Gianna Percy, Gillian Goodwin, Gemma Goodwin, Alex Simmons; great-godchildren Kaikoa Soma and Noelani Soma. Bill and Bobbie will be reunited again at Riverside National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Riverside Special Olympics. Visitation on Sunday Nov. 20, 2011 from 5-7 PM at Acheson & Graham chapel. Graveside services will be Monday Nov. 21, 2011 at 12:31 PM at the Riverside National Cemetery.