James Simmons Obituary

James C. Simmons passed away May 25th, surrounded by his family. Jim was born in Kingwood, WV to James H. and Carroll O. Simmons. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Belle (Proudfoot), sons James E. (Andrea), Thomas (Michelle), Dale (Trista), Scott (Amy) and Gary (Deborah), and 12 grandchildren. Jim graduated from Elkins High School and attended Davis & Elkins College before transferring to West Virginia University, where he graduated with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Jim and Mary were active parents with their children, supporting them in their activities and often volunteering to support as coaches and assistants. The family enjoyed hiking and exploring Washington State, and periodically traveling to visit relatives in West Virginia. Jim and Mary also took great interest in their grandchildren's lives, supporting their education, activities, school events, sleepovers and engaging with each of them as much as possible. Jim had a 36-year career with Boeing, working on multiple airplane programs where he specialized in payload systems. He was a worldwide expert in cargo handling systems on large commercial and cargo aircraft. He was a solid manager who knew and really cared about his team, but retained his strong technical knowledge, which was a feature of his leadership style. Jim was also active in the community. He spent many years as a soccer referee, progressing from youth soccer to the professional ranks with the North American Soccer League. As a member of the Seattle Glider Council, he became a highly respected pilot and owner of high-performance sailplanes, and served the club as a tow pilot, operations manager and board member for many years. In the last several years, Jim served on the resident's board at Quail Park assisted living facility. Services will be held at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills in Lynnwood, WA, on Saturday, June 15th at 1:00PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Museum of Flight in Seattle in Jim's name.