On Saturday, May 7th, over 100 friends of Mitzi Simons gathered at Doric Lodge #92 to say farewell to this special woman who passed away April 30th. The memorial service began with Charles Hadrann quoting lyrics from Rosanne Cash:
A feather’s not a bird
The rain is not the sea
A stone is not a mountain
But a river runs through me
Friends talked about how Simons connected us all, from the local animals she befriended, to the disabled elders she helped out. A healer, Simons improved the lives of many, many people, but as a caring member of our community she impacted hundreds more. “She watched out for all of us,” Hadrann said. “She was a force in making Fremont what it is today,” Mike Peck said.
Singers, from Silence-Heart-Nest and Transformation-Surprise Laundromat, shared songs in honor of Simons, and the grace she showed to all her neighbors in Fremont. Irene Ingalls Turner also performed music using singing bowls, including one owned by Simons, and led a ‘sound meditation.’
“Mitzi embodied community,” Turner observed before the afternoon gathering ended with opportunities for attendees to talk and console one another, while special items from Simons home and office were distributed using an equitable lottery system.
Organized by family and close friends, this afternoon of remembrance and celebration for all that Mitzi Simons meant to our community came about also due to the hospitality of ‘her boys’, as she called the members of Doric Lodge #92 and staff from Peck Properties.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important send-off!