Roy Leonard Simmons Jr.

Roy L. Simmons, Jr., 92, of Marietta, died April 13, 2016. Born in Henderson, Tennessee in 1923, Roy graduated from Chester County High School. From there, Roy attended Freed Hardeman College and then joined the Navy in 1943 to serve his country during World War II. Assigned to the Marines, he served in the Pacific including Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and in Nagasaki during the occupation of Japan. He received an Honorable Discharge from the Navy. A proud veteran, Roy enrolled at the University of Tennessee and graduated in 1949. While at UT, he was President of his fraternity and Head Cheerleader. Roy entered the business world in 1950 with IBM as an office manager and in 1951 began a long career with Lockheed. He worked at Lockheed for 37 years serving in many different capacities. He was proud of his work in the Community Affairs and Customer Relations department where he worked on special events and represented Lockheed in the community. He supervised public relations campaigns for various Lockheed aircraft assembled in the Marietta plant including the Jetstar, C-141 transport, and the C-5A Transport. He also developed and supervised the college internship programs that gave many students in the Public Relations field valuable experience prior to graduation. After retiring from Lockheed, Roy joined the Charter Bank organization and served on the Board of Directors until 2000. Roy’s greatest passion was his work in community service. He served on numerous advisory boards and committees that served the Smyrna/Marietta/Cobb community. Roy was active in Marietta Civitan Club, Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Marietta Rotary Club. He was named Smyrna Citizen of the Year, Marietta Citizen of the Year, and three times Rotary Man of the Year. He served as an advisor to Governor George Busbee’s vocational education advisory council. He actively volunteered with Cobb Family Resources, the Red Cross, and the Kennestone Hospital Guild as well as many other community service organizations. He was especially proud of his work with the Tommy Nobis Center and the Salvation Army. Roy was also a man of faith who served Wieuca Road Baptist Church in many ways including Chair of the Deacons. When someone needed a job done, Roy was called to do it. Roy is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy Ellis Simmons; son, Kent F. Simmons and his wife, Laura Brown Simmons; daughter, Lee Simmons and her husband, Mark Capobianco; grandchildren, Bryden Simmons, Luke Simmons, Tripp Hurt, Vaille Hurt; nieces, Annetta Sykes, Janice Routon; and friend of over 50 years, George Lucas. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Roy Simmons to the Tommy Nobis Center, www.nobisworks.org/donations or The Salvation Army, www.salvationarmyatlanta.org,PO Box 2256 Marietta, GA 30061 in memory of Roy Simmons. . A private interment service will be held at Arlington Memorial Park. The family will receive friends, Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd., NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328.