Barbara A. Simmons
Barbara A. Simmons died peacefully on February 10, 2021, in Skokie, Illinois. Barbara was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 8, 1941, to Robert D. and Elizabeth A. (Fitzpatrick) Munro. She was raised in Indianapolis and graduated from St. Agnes Academy there, happily reuniting with classmates Martha Ginther Reinert and Sharon Orr Fisko at their 50th reunion in 2009. She received a B.A. in technical writing from Purdue University in 1963, where she was a member of Phi Mu Fraternity (sorority sisters Margie Paster Gray, Phyllis Hill Masters, and Sue Trippel Simler were friends for the rest of their lives) and feature editor of the daily newspaper, the Exponent. She married Edward E. Simmons, Jr. on August 8, 1964, in Indianapolis and moved to Chicago. They moved to Skokie in 1965, bought a house there in 1971, and lived there near dear friends John and Linda Parapetti for the rest of her life. Their daughter Kathryn Mary was born on June 27, 1975. Barbara worked as a technical editor and publications manager at a variety of research organizations (IIT Research Institute, where her supervisor, Dorothy Green Saxner, became her mentor and life-long friend; Institute of Gas Technology, Booz-Allen Applied Research, Argonne National Laboratory) and nonprofit associations (American Hospital Association, where she met Nancie Noie Thompson and Karen Porter, friends ever since then; Society of Actuaries, where she met Lois Chinnock, Judy Milton, Sue Steinbach, Donna Richardson, Jan Richardson, and Anne Weymouth, also forever friends; and Association Management Center, where she met Diane Simmons and Louise Miller, more forever friends).
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She operated her own editorial business while her daughter was growing up and again after her retirement in 2006; her clients included Argonne National Laboratory, where she met her birthday-mate Pat Hollopeter, Suzanne Williams, Andrea Manning, and Marita Moniger, all friends ever after. Having joined the Society for Technical Communications in the 1960s and serving on various committees at the local and national levels and as an officer of the local chapter, she was named Associate Fellow of STC in 1995 and Fellow in 2000. She wrote numerous newsletter articles, gave presentations at STC and client association meetings and conferences, and received several awards for her work.
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She volunteered at Queen of All Saints Basilica, where she and Ed were members since 1986. She was a member and president of the Fairview District 72 (Skokie) School Board. Barbara loved traveling, whether vacation (Door County, Wisconsin; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York); sightseeing/tours (Australia, Switzerland, Egypt, Israel, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland); or business (Nashville, Anaheim, Orlando, Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, New Orleans, Dallas, Phoenix). Her favorite cities were Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, BC; and San Francisco. She thought that the most amazing site she ever visited was Hoover Dam, but most of all, she loved Maine. She relished taking pictures on every family occasion and throughout her travels, knitting, needlework, duplicate bridge (80 ACBL masterpoints), reading, art and craft fairs, the CSO at Ravinia, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and Lyric Opera. She is survived by her husband, Edward Earl; daughter Kate Tillotson (Steve) of Limerick, Maine; brother, John Munro (Kathy); sister, Judi Gunn (Erik); sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Steve and Elaine Stitle, Scott and Lisa Simmons, John Simmons, Jim Simmons, and David and Ann Perk; niece Alison Weddle (John); nephew Brian Munro. A memorial mass will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at Queen of All Saints Basilica, 6280 North Sauganash, Chicago. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter, P. O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090, or PAWS Chicago, 1997 North Clybourn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614.
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