December 12, 2020, 78, Seven Springs
W.G. Simmons was called Home by the Lord on December 12, 2020 while resting at his home of 46 years in Seven Springs, NC. W.G. retired with the rank of Lt. Colonel after 35 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserves following two years of active duty at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. W.G. had been in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps while attending North Carolina State University; graduating in 1965 with a degree in Animal Husbandry. W.G. returned to NC State to obtain his Master’s Degree in Animal Science in 1984. Upon completion of his active duty in the U.S. Army, W.G. worked for Swift Farms before joining the NC Cooperative Extension Service, where he retired after 25 years of service to the farmers of North Carolina, completing his career as an Area Specialized Swine Agent. Interspersed with all these commitments, W.G. still found time to attend all the events of his children, support local organizations, and sneak in a fishing trip or two along the way.
In addition to his work with the Extension Service and being an active reservist, W.G. worked with his family on the farm on which he was raised in Albertson, Duplin County. W.G. was a generous member of the community, and often he would pick up the tab for members of the armed services, law enforcement, and front-line workers he would see having a meal. Once W.G. began his official “retirement”, he soon began expanding his joy of providing good food for his friends and family into a specialty catering business. Known for his delicious, one-of-a-kind pork chops, W.G. operated his catering business “Chops” into his late seventies. You can’t say “pork chop” in eastern NC without soon invoking stories from passers-by on the delicious, thick pork chops they once had from W.G.’s grill.
Perhaps the only thing that rivaled W.G.’s reputation as a chop chef was his reputation for being a devoted Wolfpacker. W.G. received numerous awards for his life-long support of the Wolfpack Club, and seldom missed a football or basketball game, including bowl games and tournaments, to which he often travelled with bus loads of local Wolfpackers. No one ever wore red better or more proudly, and through the years, many high school students benefitted from W.G.’s giving of his time to facilitate campus tours and meetings with professors to explore their opportunities and sample W.G.’s love of his alma mater. But more than his life’s work of helping others through military service, education, and sharing great food, W.G. loved his family.
W.G. is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 55 years, Barbara Sue Simmons, and their two children: daughter Suzanne Parrish, with granddaughter Sarah Kemp and son-in-law Andy Parrish; and son Gus Simmons, with granddaughters Stephanie Simmons and Madison Simmons, and daughter-in-law Molly Simmons. W.G. is also survived by his younger sister Lisa Stolar and younger brother Martin Simmons.
A service to celebrate W.G.’s life will be held on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. in the Outlaw’s Bridge Church Cemetery, 4408 NC Hwy 111, Seven Springs, NC 28578. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Seymour Funeral Home.
Friends and family wishing to make a gift in his memory are encouraged to do so as a Tribute Donation to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131 or by visiting https://www.parkinson.org/ways-to-give.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.seymourfuneralhome.com.
