Millard Simmons

Millard W. “Red” Simmons, 92, of Port Neches, passed away Sunday, March 17, 2019, at The Medical Center of Southeast Texas, Port Arthur. He was born to Fannie Mae Terry and William Valentine Simmons, on July 24, 1926, in Newton. Red was a United States Navy veteran having served in World War II and later became an operator at Texaco. For over fifty years, he was a member of Rainbow Masonic Lodge #735 AF & AM.

He was the beloved dad of, Judy DeRouen and her husband, Larry; son, Dale Simmons and his wife, Jana; grandchildren, Amber Banken and her husband, Jared; Jeremy Simmons and his wife, Stacie; Chase Simmons and his wife, Ariel; Laurie Knudson and her husband, Cedric; Michael Snowden; and Natlie Snowden; and great-grandchildren, Brady Simmons, Isabella Banken, Ethan Simmons, Cord Banken, Ravian Simmons, Keaton Simmons, and Hayes Knudson.

He is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary Frances; sisters, Mary Augusta Simmons and Faye Adams; and grandson, Troy DeRouen.

A gathering of Mr. Simmons’ family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Friday, March 22, 2019, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12th Street, Nederland. His funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 23, 2019, at First Baptist Church, 1900 Magnolia Avenue, Port Neches, with his interment to follow, at Oak Bluff Memorial Park, Port Neches.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105; Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, 10497 Town and Country Way, Houston, Texas 77024; or to Histiocytosis Association, 332 North Broadway, Pitman, New Jersey 08071.

My Family

Dad – William Valentine Simmons Born Jan 10, 1895, died on July 24, 1931 – 36 years old Died on my fifth birthday from typhoid fever

Mom – Fannie Mae Terry Simmons Born Oct. 18, 1901, died on June 22, 1994 – 92 years old

Sister – Mary Augusta (Mutt) Born Jan. 14, 1923, died on Nov. 4, 1931 – 8 years old Died from diphtheria

Millard W. Simmons – Born July 24, 1926

Sister – Faye Ois Simmons Adams Born June 24, 1929, died on Feb. 1, 2010 – 81 years old

I was born on our family farm 2 miles east of Newton. My dad worked for the State Hwy. Dept. and farmed. We lived on 13 acres and had 28 additional acres of wooded property connected to our farm. My Grandma and Grandpa Simmons’ farm was located right below ours. My dad passed away on my 5th birthday. My mother had never even bought groceries before, and now, she was faced with the responsibility of being the provider for her family. It was suggested by one of the men with the highway dept. that she might consider placing us in an orphanage, but she was going to make sure that never would happen. In less than 3-1/2 months later, my older sister passed away. It was a very difficult time for our family.

Mother knew she had to go to work. She was offered a job running the Buckhorn Store and worked there 1-1/2 years. At that time, she realized she needed to move to Newton to get a job. She traded the farm and the 13 acres, even exchange, for a house in town. The WPA had a canning factory and a sewing room in town. Mom went to work at the canning factory and, later, the sewing room. Eventually, she went to work at the Variety Store in Newton in the new fabric and sewing section. She worked there until she had a heart attack in her mid-fifties and had to stop working.

When I was young, I worked odd jobs around Newton to make extra money to help my mother out. At the age of 13, I went to work at the Ice House waiting on customers. Eventually, I started going on routes with the owner’s brother. When we left the city limits, he would let me drive the truck. Literally, he taught me how to drive. When I was 14, the owner gave me a route. Since I didn’t have a license, he instructed me to have the police call him if I ever got stopped. I worked for him until I joined the Navy.

I entered the Navy on June 1944-June 1946 and spent those two years in the Palau Islands. After I came home from the service, I went to SFA to college for a year.

When I returned home, Mary and I started dating and decided to get married. We got married on June 19, 1948. About five months later, we found out we were going to have a baby. Mary worked at the bank, but she would have to leave at seven months, I started making contacts and looking at every possibility in the East Texas area around Newton for a job which would support our new family. There were none available. My search led me to Southeast Texas and the Texas Company refinery (later renamed Texaco) in Port Neches. I started in February 1949 and worked for the company for 39-1/2 years retiring in 1987.

Mary and I have two children, Judy Lynn and William Dale, three grandchildren, and one who the Lord has called home. Judy’s daughter, Amber, is married to Jared Banken and they have our only great-granddaughter, Isabella, and one of four of our great-grandsons, Cord. Dale has two sons. Jeremy is married to Staci and they have Brady and Ethan, and Chase and Ariel have Ravian Keith and Keaton Bodhi. Dale’s wife Jana has three children, Laurie, who has baby Hayes, Natalie and Michael. Judy’s husband, Larry, had a son when they married. We lost Troy in a tragic accident on Sept. 22, 1991.

Mary went home to be with the Lord on Feb. 24, 2011. We were married for 62 years. She did not get to be here for the birth of our five young great-grandsons, but she would have been delighted to have five more little ones running around MeMaw and PawPaw’s house.