Retha is preceded in death by her husband, Larry Simmons of 63 years, and children Timothy, Carmen, Judy & Kathy, her parents Gladys and Glen Fox and brothers Sonny & Donny and sister Betty.
She is survived by her daughter Sherry (Simmons) Aguilar and son-in-law George Aguilar, Grandsons Phillip Garza and Anthony Aguilar, his wife Jennifer Aguilar and great-grandkids, Jeremy Olivarria, Calistra and Georgia Aguilar, sisters Joyce Nieto (Husband Eddie Nieto), Lorraine Fox, Lourinda Fox and many cousins, nieces and nephews who loved her dearly and called her Aunt Rita.
Retha and her family left their farm in Upstate New York when she was a young girl and traveled across the United States following the crops along the West Coast and eventually settled in Surprise, Arizona in 1958. This is where she met Larry Simmons and after 3 weeks of dating, they married, had 5 children, and remained together for 63 years until Larry’s passing in April 2022. Retha worked the majority of her life as a hard-working waitress in restaurants in the Sun City Area until her retirement.
Retha had a bucket list of a few places she wanted to visit before her passing, and the place on the top of her list was the Grand Canyon Skywalk, She and her husband had talked about visiting. Not only was she able to visit, but she was able to stand up on the skywalk without a walker or wheelchair as she had hoped for, mission accomplished.
Her greatest passion in life was caring for her family, she always put everyone else before her own needs. Retha will be greatly missed by many.
You are invited to join us in the Celebration of her beautiful life on Sunday, September 3, 2023, beginning with a viewing at 8 AM and service starting at 9 AM at West Resthaven Funeral Home, 6450 W. Northern Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301.
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