VIRGIL DONALD SIMON's Obituary
Virgil Donald Simon entered peacefully, into eternal rest on Monday, December 30, at his home, Astoria Gardens, in Tracy. He leaves behind two sons, Donald, and Laurence Simon, a daughter, Linda McNeel and her husband John, as well as his grandchildren Will McNeel, Heather Butler and her husband Chris. Also, grandsons; Jacob, Daniel, and Joshua Simon. Raised on the farmlands of eastern Washington and Idaho, and spending his high school years in eastern Oregon, Virgil, then called “Simp”, for “Simple Simon”, graduated from McMinnville High School in 1944. During his enlistment in the army, at the end of WWII, he discovered his love for all things mechanical, which lead to a long career with United Air Lines. After serving in the Phillippines, and Japan, he returned to Oregon, and met the love of his life, Grace, at a roller rink. They married, and moved to California, where they were both very involved parents, supporting all of their children’s activities. Virgil was a Scoutmaster of Fremont troop 146 in the 1960s, meanwhile his children’s skating activities gave him an outlet for another of his talents, woodworking, as he was often called upon to build sets and props for precision skating productions. In 1773, Grace was taken from him, in a tragic accident. He was left, to be a grandparent, on his own. A task, his grandchildren can tell you, he took seriously, and was very good at doing. During the disco skating era of the 1980s, he invested in the Roller Faire in Pleasanton, where he began to be called, “Pop”, by the many youth skaters he helped to coach. After retirement, he went to live in the cedar forest of Pollack Pines, where he relaxed with deer and squirrels for his pets. By 2007, Virgil was ready to move down to San Joaquin County, to be nearer family. A couple of years ago, Parkinson’s Disease began to take away his abilities to do most of the things he loved to do, fixing antique engines, singing, and playing his guitars. He was an amazing storyteller, with a history to share that starts on a farm, where horses actually pulled the plow. Through all of the years, he was a patient, and loving father, and grandfather, attending events, and supporting all of his “kids” in their various activities, and in skating, there were many. We will honor Virgil, at his graveside, with family and friends on Friday, January 10, at 11:00am, at Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery in Hayward.
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