Carol Louise Simmons

Carol Louise Simmons of Albuquerque, NM, died peacefully June 29, 2013, surrounded by members of her family. She was born August 25, 1937 in Brooklyn, NY, daughter of John Olson, late of Kyrkult, Sweden, and Ester Bertelin, late of the é...land Islands in the Baltic Sea. Although her given name was Louise Carolina, she preferred the name Carol. She grew up in Brooklyn, was a member of the Junior Fellowship League of the Salem Lutheran Church, and graduated from Bay Ridge High School in 1955. Unable to pursue the higher education in art she desired, Carol graduated from the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in 1956. After several positions with various businesses around northern New England, she became executive secretary of the Lake Placid Club in New York. There she met her first husband, William Moyer Richardson. They were married April 4, 1959 and had two daughters, Laura Louise and Bonnie Lynne. They lived in Northern Virginia where she became an accomplished watercolorist and founding member of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists, now with a membership of several hundred artists. After 11 years in Northern Virginia, Mr. Richardson died suddenly in 1976, and in the same year she lost both her parents. Later she met and married a widower, John Ashley Simmons of Fairfax Station, VA on May 13, 1978. With his five children, Mary Frances, Katharine Wells, Elizabeth Ashley, Jeanne Carolyn and John Landrey, they became a combined family with seven children. Together, they saw their children through high school, colleges and six weddings. At the same time, Carol, together with her partner, the late Fay Owens of Annandale, VA, started The Watercolor Room in Occoquan, VA, selling paintings and antiques, which Carol collected during numerous trips. After losing their lease, The Watercolor Room was disbanded, and Carol and John retired to Albuquerque in 1994. There, they enjoyed visits from their children's families and grandchildren, and travels to Europe and the U.S. Southwest. Carol is survived by her husband, John, and all seven of their children and their families, including 13 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Presbyterian Ear Institute, Albuquerque, NM (as Carol became totally deaf in 1990). A memorial to celebrate her life will be held Sunday, August 25, 2013 at Prairie Star Restaurant, 288 Prairie Star Rd., Santa Ana Pueblo, NM. Please share a comment letting the family know if you will be attending the Celebration of Life service. FRENCH - Wyoming 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE (505) 823-9400