John William Simmons, Sr., 77, of Tifton died Thursday, September 1, 2011, at Park Regency Assisted Living in Moultrie. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 3, 2011, in the Memorial Chapel of Tifton’s First Baptist Church. Dr. Wayne Roe will officiate with burial to follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Andrew Samples, Tyler Simmons, Patrick Simmons, Alan Simmons, Jon Palmer and Tyler Sandifer will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Adult II Lamar Branch Sunday school class of Tifton's First Baptist Church. The family will receive friends on Friday, September 2, 2011, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
Mr. Simmons was born on June 11, 1934 in Ben Hill County and was the son of James Maultin Simmons and Lucille Fitzsimmons Simmons, both deceased. He was also preceded in death by his first wife, Billie Jean Wiley Simmons, who died in 1981; his second wife, Freda White Simmons, who died in 2006; six siblings; and one great-grandchild, Summer Simmons. He was a native of the Tifton and Chula area and a retired brick mason. He also retired from the City of Tifton as a supervisor with the street department. During his tenure with the City, he designed and built the round bathroom facilities at Fulwood Park, as well as moving the Veterans statue in Fulwood Park three times over a 10-year period, at the request of the Daughters of the Confederacy. He assisted in the construction of the Veteran’s Memorial stage in Downtown Tifton. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Tifton. He taught the 4th grade Sunday school class at Northside Baptist Church for over a decade and taught the Adult Sunday school class at Axson Evangelistic Church and was a board member of the Southeastern Evangelistic Association. He also served in the United States Air Force.
Mr. Simmons is survived by his children and their spouses, Audrey Armstrong Hipp of husband Joel of Cumming, Sabina Simmons Silvoy and husband John of Tifton, John William Simmons, Jr. and wife Diane of Tifton, David Alan Simmons and wife Carrie of Ocilla, and April Simmons Collins and husband Lee of Athens; his grandchildren, Alicia Armstrong, Anna S. Palmer, Andrew Samples, Rachel S. Sandifer, Austin Silvoy, Elizabeth and Sarah Blanchard, Tyler Simmons, Patrick Simmons, Kit Brown, Shane Woodard, Kaysi Woodard, Alan Simmons, Belynda and Evan Baker, Amanda Simmons, Elizabeth Simmons, Ashlyn Collins, Karli Collins and Will Collins; seven great-grandchildren, Tariku, Hannah, Emiley, Isabella, Kirsten, Ty and Bently Coleman; and two sisters, Charlotte Hester of Tifton and Ruth Brannen of Cordele.