Byron Simmons Jr., 81, of Granger, went to be with our Lord at 3:00pm on Friday December 23, 2022, at his home. Byron was born in Fort Wayne, IN on July 15, 1941, to Byron and Jacqueline (Overmeyer) Simmons. Byron lived in Fort Wayne until he joined the Army in 1960. It was while in the military and stationed in Riberac, France that he "heard the bells" when he saw the woman he would marry…the Love of his Life Marie Martineau. Byron & Marie were married on September 7, 1963 in Marie's hometown of Notre Dame De Monts, France. Before his 2nd tour of Vietnam in 1969, Byron was honorably discharged from the Army due to hearing loss. Byron and Marie then moved to Granger, Indiana where they continued to raise their family. Survivors in addition to his wife Marie are three daughters and one son, Claire (Marc) Hartman, Catherine (Jimmy)Martineau-Otis, Mark (Christopher) Simmons, Caroline (Brent) Longbrake; three grandchildren, Ian (Gabrianna) Hartman, Kaitlyn (Cayla) Hartman, Brianna Longbrake; four Sisters Diane (Jim) Locke, Bonnie (John) Falls, Gayle (Roger) Houser, Kelly Valdez; brother, Kevin (Donna) Furthmiller. He was preceded in death and greeted in Heaven by his parents; son John Simmons, grandson Gerrard Longbrake, sister Sidnette Ann Chin, brother Buddy Kauffman. While raising his family, Byron worked as a Tool & Die designer at Elkhart Machine and Tool where he was known as a fair and hard worker and was well liked. Byron took early retirement in 1999 so he and Marie could enjoy their years together. Among the many things he enjoyed in his spare time, he thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his family…building houses with Marc, playing Tomb Raider with Ian & Kaitlyn, getting 7-11 slushies with Brianna, weekly dinners with Caroline, morning coffee & conversation with Claire, monthly dates with Catherine, a garage beer with Jimmy, weekly calls to catch up with Mark and chats about anything with Brent. Byron and Marie enjoyed traveling and seeing new places. They traveled often to France where they spent many summers visiting family, partaking in the local seafood, and sitting by the ocean enjoying the calming sounds of the waves. Byron and Marie's strong & loving dedication to their Catholic faith kept them involved in their church in numerous ways. Byron will always be remembered as a kind, thoughtful and loving man. He never knew a stranger and many of his children's friends considered him like a 2nd Dad. He saw the beauty in life and lived it to the fullest with Marie by his side. Byron gave many gifts of himself…his words of wisdom, his hugs that would heal, his simple acts of kindness. His greatest gift was his love of Marie, it showed everyone that knew them that true love does exist and will always live on. The family requests that any contributions be made to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). To honor Byron the family also requests that you share random acts of kindness whenever you can…pass a simple kindness on to a stranger.

Services will be at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church on Friday December 30, 2022 at 11:00 am. Visitation will be one hour prior to services with burial at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.