Robert James "Bob" Simonds' Obituary
Robert James "Bob" Simonds, age 89, of Chicago, IL, formerly of Sparta, IL, passed away on Saturday December 21, 2013 from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; a.k.a. "Lou Gehrig's disease"). Bob was born in 1924, the youngest child of the late Thomas W. and Zuma Crain Simonds, in Sparta, IL. Bob graduated from Sparta High School in 1942 as president of his class and received a BA in English from the University of Illinois in 1947. He also attended Ohio Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity (ATO) at all three universities and was the only man in history to have served as president of three chapters of ATO. He married the late Edith "Edie" Wells in 1949, and they lived together in Champaign, Ill. before relocating to Pittsburgh in 1955. After eleven years with the Aluminum Company of America working in personnel and public relations, Bob moved to Ketchum, Inc., the largest fund-raising firm in the United States and Canada, where he began as associate campaign director and retired as Executive Vice-President after some 35 years. In Pittsburgh Bob and Edie raised their family of five sons and one daughter. Bob and Edie were passionate about the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s. Bob was active in the Urban League, Project Friendship, the Membership Exchange Program of the Pittsburgh Presbytery, and Jazz for Freedom, which raised money to send volunteers to assist in the registration of black voters in the Deep South. An active preservationist, Bob was a member of Municipal Art Society (New York) and the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. Bob appreciated the power and beauty of language and loved wordplay and palindromes. Bob and Edie were enthusiasts of Cole Porter and of musical theatre: Bob saw "A Chorus Line" some 37 times. Bob was also deeply committed to ATO, serving as director of ATO's Chapter Officers Leadership Conference, member and chairman of the ATO executive committee, and two-term national president. He also served as chairman of the ATO Foundation. In 2010 Bob received the ATO National President Award "Exemplifying ATO for a Lifetime." After his diagnosis of ALS, he volunteered in Chicago raising money for ALS research. Survivors include one sister, Millicent Anne Simonds Bates of Xenia, OH. He is also survived by six children: Thomas W. Simonds (Hollace Graff) of Chicago, IL; Gerald C. Pagane of New York City, NY; William F. (Militza) Simonds of Potomac, MD; Robert J. (Rumiko) Simonds, Jr. of Decatur, GA; Laura M. Simonds (Thomas Shuster) of Baraboo, WS and John E. Simonds (Jennifer Brandenburg) of Philomath, OR; thirteen grandchildren and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Edie; five brothers, Kenneth, Walter, Eugene, Willard, and Frank; and a sister, Elva Simonds McIntyre. A memorial service will be held in Sparta, IL in April 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that memorial donations be made to the ALS Walk4Life of the Les Turner ALS Foundation of Chicago. Pyatt Funeral Home, Pinckneyville, IL is in charge of the arrangements.
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