Frederick Wallace Simmons

Frederick (Freddy) Simmons passed away on July 12 in his home after battling a long illness. He was 76 years old. He is survived by his five children, two sons-in-law, a daughter-in-law, eight grandchildren, several siblings, and many nieces and nephews. His family meant the world to him. He was a generous, larger than life man who lived to the very fullest right up until the end. Frederick (Freddy) Simmons took his last breath at his home on Wednesday, July 12 after a day of laughing and reminiscing with good friends and lively phone calls with his kids. He was getting ready to head out to see his grandson's baseball game, as he hadn't missed a game this season. Those baseball games and having his grandson Patrick live with him this past year kept him alive for long beyond what his IPF and congestive heart failure diagnosis had predicted. If you knew Fred, you loved Fred and you have certainly never met another like Fred. He was larger than life, extremely generous, and made everyone he talked to feel like they were the most special person in the room. He was quick with a joke and always had a story, but most of what made him hilarious was his confidence in breaking the rules and his airheaded mishaps. Nothing surprised us about Freddy! His passions throughout his life were fishing, hunting, and baseball and there was nothing he valued more than his big family. He spent a lot of time at both his hunting shack and lake cabin up north, took several trips to Canada and even to Alaska to pursue his hobbies. He also went on many adventures with his kids, brothers, nephews, great nephews, and grandsons. He valued time with the rest of his eight siblings and the Big Simmons Clan, which was started by his dad, Fred, who he called his hero, and his mom, Patricia, who he loved dearly. Fred cared deeply that the clan remained close; he hosted large family get-togethers and was sure to make it to every family event he was invited to as his influence on his kids was monumental. He passed down his love of fishing to his son Johnny, creating a deep and special bond between them early on. He also gave Johnny his ability to sell just about anything through charm and persistence. Despite graduating from St. Cloud with a teaching degree, Fred's lifelong career was in sales. With his unmatched sales ability, he quickly moved up to President and part owner of Ver-Tech, Inc. He worked there for over 50 years and was still making deals up to a few weeks before he died. He was extremely proud to see John's growing success in sales in recent years; winning trips for him and his wife Erin, and many awards within his company. Fred was always Johnny's first call when he made a big sale! Nobody was prouder of you when you hit a big goal than Fred. He also spent several years coaching John in baseball, while also enjoying playing baseball himself, which he got into again at 52 years old. He was still quite the player! He shared that those baseball years were some of his best days and his friends from that team as well as several softball teams he was on in Bloomington throughout his life are friends he still saw even up until just the week before he passed. Fred's kids were his everything. Jodi, his first born, has several special memories of her dad. He influenced her love of music and impressed her with his athleticism. She remembers him singing Scarlet Ribbons and made-up songs from his Grandma Esther, reading her nursery rhymes, and playing songs on his guitar. Her favorite was Classical Gas. He introduced her to piano at 5 years old - a talent and hobby that she still has today, to skiing through several ski trips to Montana and Colorado over the years. He introduced her to the wonders of space and science, where she became much more savvy in IT and computers than he ever was and made it her career for the past 20 years. Kelly got Fred's sense of adventure, appreciation for the outdoors, and his desire to live life to the very fullest! They traveled together often, taking trips to Beaver Island, Michigan and Ireland to discover more of our Irish heritage, something else he was very proud of, and even visited Cuba. While he actually forgot Kelly at random locations on more than one occasion, she meant the world to him and always kept his spirits high. She shared his love of the slopes and has spent most of her adult days in the mountains snowboarding or hiking the great outdoors. Kelly also received the gift of selling which has brought her on cross-country adventures repping snowboard and ski apparel. Sales was a skill he instilled in his daughter Molly as well, leading her to a successful 20-year career at General Mills. Molly also picked up Fred's love of dancing. They even took a class so they could perform a special dance on Molly's wedding to Ryan in Mexico to his favorite song, What a Wonderful World. Molly shares Fred's stubbornness and that led to many deep conversations about life, politics, and more. While they didn't always agree, they were able to listen to and respect each other and always came away with expanded perspectives. When Molly was just two years old, they made an agreement, "I'll take care of you... and you'll take care of me" - something they followed through on up to his last breath. On his last birthday, he received a beautiful blue birdhouse from his friend Kathy. When Molly said she loved it, they decided to give it to Molly and Kathy was going to get him a different one. Last Thursday, the day after he passed, Molly noticed that little birds had finally settled in and made a nest in the birdhouse hanging outside her kitchen window; letting her know he is still watching over her. Patrick, his oldest son, was rambunctious and quite a handful as a young boy. Freddy helped direct his energy to several sports, fishing, and hunting, and provided him with all sorts of fun toys such as dirt bikes, boats, four wheelers, and experiences with acres of land to discover and hunt on, fishing, and ski trips. Patrick got Fred's big muscles and immense strength, his quick temper, his love of hunting, and a love of dogs. Fred was so loved and respected by all of his dogs and in his final years, Maggie became his closest companion and the one he played the most catch with. Pat admired Fred's indomitable spirit and looked up to him in many ways. "Grandpa Fred" was so very loved by all eight of his grandkids. He was always ready with advice and as they would say "mansplain" even the most basic of things. He'll be remembered for his special lake cabin where so many fun memories were created, the cupboard of candy bars he always made sure was stocked for their visits, his donuts on Sunday mornings, carving pumpkins, cheering them on at so many of their sports events, and instilling a passion for hunting and fishing in his grandsons. Recently, his grandson Jake wrote a special speech about his grandpa and got an A. His grandson Patrick, who lived with him for the past year, said it was the best year of his life and called his Grandpa "his guy" and his best friend whose advice always felt so right. He was very proud of all eight of them and in Fred fashion, made them each feel they were his favorite - just as he did his two "favorite" sons-in-law, Ryan and Halsey. Fred often said he made a lousy husband but a great dad. His two ex-wives, Lori and Amy, would probably agree. However, they'd also say he remained an important part of their lives and that they had friendships that continued to grow and that he stayed integrated into both their extended families, continuing to bring his enormous sense of humor. He was loved by all. He's had a very special relationship with Kathy for years. He was drawn to her energy, intelligence, and drive. He often bragged about her Ph.D., her successful career in the health industry, and her willingness to challenge herself. She still snowboards, wakeboards, runs marathons, etc. and he loved that about her. He enjoyed their special times on Sanibel Island, long conversations, dancing, and the strong bonds he developed with both of her kids. Fred made new friends everywhere he went but was especially loyal to friendships that started long ago. He recently connected with several friends from back in his elementary and high school days. He also stayed extremely close to his softball friends from his days on the Toads and his baseball buddies from the Bulldogs. He had the time of his life just two weeks ago attending a reunion for that ball team. He said reminiscing and laughing was his way of saying goodbye. He spent his final day on this earth doing just that, laughing, and reminiscing with friends and looking forward to meeting up with family to watch a baseball game. Goodbyes are always hard. Goodbye to someone as big and legendary as Fred feels incomprehensible. We know he is reconnecting with the many special family and friends he had lost and can picture him with a fishing rod in his hand or in a baseball cap getting ready to hit one outta the park. Freddy sure hit life out of the park and will be remembered with a smile and greatly missed always. He was our "Best Huntin' Skunk in the Woods". A visitation will begin at 10am followed by a service at 11am at Nativity of Mary Church in Bloomington, MN on Tuesday July 25. In leiu of flowers, please give to the charity of your choice.

Tributes

Frederick Wallace Simmons

April 16, 1947 - July 12, 2023

Tributes

Frederick Wallace Simmons

April 16, 1947 - July 12, 2023

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