Rose E. Simonds Obituary (1922 - 2015)

Scarborough-Rose Ellen Simonds, 93, formerly of Cammock Road, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 11, 2015, at the Barron Center in Portland. Rose was born June 19, 1922, in Somerville, Massachusetts, the daughter of Fred Chick and Arzetta (Rose) Hayes. She graduated from Portland High School, class of 1939. Rose met her future husband Edward Simonds while ice skating as a young girl at Deering Oaks. Eds career took their family to Minnesota, Connecticut, Chicago, and Washington DC, making lifelong friends along the way. Upon retiring, they returned to Scarborough, where they spent the next 30 years with family, traveling, summering at Pine Point and enjoying life. Rose and Ed were among the first communicants of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish. Rose was caring, loving, and generous to her four children, five grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren (with a ninth coming in October). Rose volunteered at Mercy Hospital and St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen in Portland. She loved a good hand of bridge and was a voracious reader of books and newspapers. When macular degeneration took her eyesight away, she was grateful for books on tape and cable news, which kept her current with the political scene until the very end. Rose was predeceased by her husband of 72 years, Edward, who died in 2012, and her very special sister Joan C. Hayes. She is survived by her four children Beth (Bob) Branson of Venice, Florida, Chick (Joan Gulliver) Simonds, of Hilton Head, South Carolina,Michael (Nancy White) Simonds of East Windsor, Connecticut, and Leslie Simonds and her husband Charles Koutsivitis of Scarborough; her grandchildren Jane (Mike) Smack of Virginia, John (Donna) Branson of Maine, Matthew (Janet) Simonds of Georgia, Alexandra (Reg) Berry of Wisconsin, Benjamin (Nicole) Simonds of Illinois; her great-grandchildren, Hillary, Lydia, Nick, Jack, Nate, Tommy, Joey, and William; along with nieces, nephews, and her Boston cousins. Special thanks to the wonderful staff of the Barron Center wholovingly took care of our mother like she was family. Interment will be private. A memorial service in celebration of Roses life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland. To view Roses memorial page or express online condolences please visit www.ctcrawford.com Gifts in Roses name may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society Soup Kitchen, 307 Congress St., Portland Maine, 04101, or to Southern Maine Community College Foundation, 2 Fort Street, South Portland, Maine, 04106.