Donald Lloyd Simon, 77, of South Bend, passed away at 2:15 am, Thursday, April 14, 2011 in Regency Place Nursing Home. Don was born on April 22, 1933, the son of Joseph and Effie (Slezak) Simon and was raised on a small farm in rural northern Minnesota outside the town of Meadowlands. Shortly after graduating high school, he served in the U.S. Army, at the final rank of Sergeant, during the Korean War from 1953 to 1956 where he was stationed in Japan. After attending a few trade schools and working a few short-lived jobs, Don embarked in the early 1960s on a lifelong career working for the U.S. Department of Defense. He specialized in mechanical inspection and performed quality assurance work in association with companies that manufactured various items for use by the Armed Forces and Department of Defense. This work brought him first to Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, then Fort Wayne, Indiana, and finally to South Bend, Indiana where he worked as a quality assurance specialist and supervisor at Bendix and other companies in the local area. During Don''s life, he pursued various outside interests. He was an avid tennis player for many years and challenged many in the South Bend area on the courts. After earning a pilot''s license, he purchased a small four-seater and entertained himself, family, and friends for years flying around the Midwest region. After he gave up flying, he found a new hobby, ballroom dancing. Don made many friends in the South Bend area with this new passion that he pursued for the rest of his life. Dancing was a natural outgrowth of his love for music. Don played the accordion all his life as well as the harmonica, and in his later years learned to play keyboards of all sorts.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Effie Simon and sister, Georgia Simon.
He is survived by two brothers, Kenneth Simon of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Eugene Simon of Grandview, Missouri, and nephew Richard (Janet) Simon of Bristol, Wisconsin.
Visitation will be held from 2:00-4:00 pm, Wednesday, April 20, 2011 in Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 10776 McKinley Highway, Osceola with a funeral service to follow immediately at 4:00 pm. Rev. Sandy Vanik, pastor of Unity Church of Peace will officiate. Following the service, Don will travel to his hometown of Meadowlands, Minnesota for burial.

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