Reba June Clark Simmons

Mrs. Reba June Clark Simmons, 86, of Mount Airy, passed away Sunday morning, February 15, 2009, at Universal Health Care Center in King, with her family by her side. Born in Helen, WV, on November 17, 1922, to Landis G. and Ethel Farley Clark, Reba lived her childhood and young adulthood in West Virginia and Jefferson County, NC, before moving to Flat Rock, NC. She attended Flat Rock High School. She and Andrew Benjamin Simmons married on February 23, 1942, which began a love affair and familial bond that is only now interrupted by death. Reba was a devout Christian and a current member of the Rocky Ford Christian Church of Cana, VA. Her unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was the bedrock of her life and the foundation of the values she instilled in her children. Enforced Sunday school attendance, bedtime Bible stories, and gospel hymns with her young daughter by the kitchen sink ensured that her children were nurtured in the spirit of the Lord. Delightfully creative and busy, Reba fashioned KFC buckets into lampshades, plastic milk containers into elegant swans, cross-stitch into miniature replicas of Old Glory, and wove a mother's love into the numerous one-of-a-kind shirts and dresses she produced for her young brood. Reba was generous by nature and a master at crocheting. Most newborn infants in the community wore a sweater and booties crocheted by her loving hands. Even into the autumn of her life, Reba relished the competition of sporting activities and the frolic of family gatherings. She was a regular on the softball field and basketball court, and taught her young sons the fundamentals of the games as well as the humility of defeat - by mom. She was an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves, an arm chair referee of TV college basketball, and loved to regale family and friends with stories of her childhood athletic prowess in track and basketball. Reba will be remembered for her simple wisdom, generosity, humor, and loving devotion to family and friends. She was a wonderful wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, family relative, and friend. She is deeply loved and will be sorely missed by all. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Andrew Benjamin "Ben" Simmons of the home; a daughter and son-in-law, Carole Simmons Semones and Allen Semones of Columbia, SC; five sons and four daughters-in-law, Jerry B. and Diana Simmons of Tucson, AZ, John C. and Patricia Simmons of Chesapeake, VA, Grayson and Kaye Simmons of Dobson, Billy G. and Libby Simmons of Hixson, TN, and Robert M. Simmons of Winston-Salem; thirteen grandchildren, Elysia Robin Semones, Laura Semones Maxwell, Nichole Semones Cooper, Paul Allen Semones, III, Pamela Sue Pomeroy, Wade Alan Simmons, Andrew J. Simmons, Aimee M. Simmons, James Kevin Simmons, Amanda Simmons Gillespie, Kristopher G. Simmons, Eric W. Simmons, and Bill Monday; fifteen great-grandchildren, Sarah, Ben, Jake, Kassidy, Tyler, Elijah, Abigale, Zoe, Phoebe, Liam, Sebastian, Wimberly, Alec, Grayson, and Jace; two sisters, Katherine Lingerfelt of Newton and Linda Burton of Baltimore, MD; and a sister-in-law, Katherine Clark Goode of Winston-Salem. In addition to her parents, Reba was preceded in death by three sisters, Edith Blake, Glady Basham, and Bonnie Bare; and five brothers, Ewell Clark, Erskin Clark, Bill Clark, Carlos Clark, and Garnett Clark. The funeral service will be held Thursday, February 19, 2009, at 11:00 AM at Rocky Ford Christian Church, conducted by the Rev. Billy Moore and the Rev. Lee Johnson. Interment will follow at Oakdale Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Moody Funeral Home in Mount Airy, where her body will remain until carried to the church to lie-in-state 30 minutes prior to the funeral service. In keeping Reba's charitable nature, if anyone so desires, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association, Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, or a preferred social charity. The family is eternally grateful to Brenda Westmoreland for the love and compassion shown while assisting Reba at home during the final months of her life. The family also wishes to thank Shannon Mosley, and the wonderful medical and support staffs at Northern Hospital of Surry County and the Universal Health Care Center of King for their warmth and caring that allowed Reba to leave this mortal life in comfort and dignity. Thank you and God bless you!