Obituary for Skip Simons
Skip Simons was greeted by her Lord and Savior on Sunday, August 20th, 2023.
Rosary and visitation will be held at 6:00 pm on Thursday August 24, 2023 at Happy’s Memorial Chapel. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 am, Friday August 25, 2023 at the Happy Cemetery with Father Alvin Tashuma officiating. Arrangements are made by Brooks Funeral Directors.
Mary Kathryn Murphy was born January 25, 1941 in Trinidad, Colorado to Thomas Owen and Mary Charlotte (Hannig) Murphy. Her father called her “my little Skipper” at the age of two and the name stuck. She has been known as Skip ever since. She was the youngest of four children and was raised on her family’s farm north of Hoehne, Colorado, in the shadow of the Spanish Peaks and Fisher’s Peak. As children, after their chores were done, the Murphy kids were free to roam and play all over the farm. Playing games was also an important part of being a Murphy.
Skip graduated from Hoehne High School in 1959. She married Larry Simons on November 25, 1961 in Hoehne and began their lives near Happy, Texas for the next 60 years. She retired from the Swisher County Farm Service Agency in Tulia after twenty-two and a half years of service.
Central to Skip’s life were faith, family, friends and food. She had and unwavering faith in God and was a member of Holy Name Catholic Church in Happy. She loved the Lord with all of her heart; not only living out her faith, but generously giving her time and talent in service of the Lord. She loved her family unconditionally, and constantly demonstrated love and devotion to her husband, children and their spouses, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews. She also loved all of her “nother children” that were her children and grandchildren’s friends over the years.
Skip was blessed to have many good friends. She believed to have good friends, you had to be a good friend. Skip was loyal, and never met a stranger. Whether it was friends from Happy and Wayside, Jayceettes, 4-H, Church, the Ladies Bunko Group, or the many ball games and activities she and Larry attended, she enjoyed spending time with all of them.
And then there was the food. Skip loved cooking for family, friends and anyone who just might be hungry. She was an excellent cook, and instilled that love of cooking in her children. For many years, she wasn’t a fancy cook, but eventually she started catering and loved to create beautiful food arrangements for weddings, showers and large groups.
4-H was important to Skip and she believed in “Making the Best Better”. She met Larry at the Las Animas County Fair, raised their children as 4-H members and was a leader of the Happy 4-H Club and Swisher Couty 4-H for over 50 years. Skip was an innovative leader, and in the 1970s, started what is now known as Consumer Decision Making Judging. The first contests were held during Happy 4-H Club meetings, and eventually spread first to Swisher County, and then across District 2. Many years later, this judging program grew across the state of Texas and 4-Hers can now earn the right to participate in the contest at Texas State 4-H Roundup. Livestock projects were important to her family, and she enjoyed going with Larry and their children to show steers at shows across Texas. She and Larry received the Texas 4-H Legacy Leader Award in 2020 for outstanding service to Texas 4-H.
Skip loved to sing and listen to all kinds of music and enjoyed learning how to play the bass guitar in retirement. She was often asked to share her talent at funerals and other events. After singing at an event in Tulia, she liked to tell her family that David Otwell came up and said, “You are either blessed or cursed with perfect pitch.”
She was also a member of the Swisher County Museum Board and the former editor and publisher of the Happy Weekly News.
Skip is survived by two sons, Clay (Sharon) of Lincolnville, KS and Dwayne (Melissa) of Happy, TX; one daughter Megan (Dan) Horton of Shallowater, TX; six grandchildren, Carlye Simons (Mandy Calderon) of Eugene, OR, Lauren Picon of Denver, CO, Ty Simons of Westminster, CO, Cacey (Luke) Sizemore of Maize, KS, and Emma and Ellasyn Horton of Shallowater, TX; sisters Marge (Ted) Butler of La Conner, WA and Marion Dalvit of Hoehne, CO; brothers-in-law Harold (Annie) Simons of La Junta, CO, Jim Simons of Pueblo West, CO, sister-in-law Julie Murphy of Sun City, AZ; Larry’s Aunt Ruth Elaine Begio of Yankee, NM; and multitude of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Skip was preceded in death by her husband Larry; granddaughter Kirsten Simons; parents Tom and Charlotte (Hannig) Murphy; brother Bernard “Bud” Murphy; brothers-in-law Charles “Buddy” Dalvit, Everett Simons and his wife Jackie, and Dale Simons; and sisters-in-law Lori (DePeel) Simons and Nancy (Miller) Simons.
Micah 6:8 “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Skip lived her faith quietly and was an example to all. Her ability to turn everything over to God was her greatest strength. If there is one lesson to learn from her life, it is to live your faith.
The family requests that memorials be made to the Kirsten Dale Simons Memorial Scholarship Fund at Happy State Bank or Swisher County 4-H.
Rosary and visitation will be held at 6:00 pm on Thursday August 24, 2023 at Happy’s Memorial Chapel. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 am, Friday August 25, 2023 at the Happy Cemetery with Father Alvin Tashuma officiating. Arrangements are made by Brooks Funeral Directors.
Mary Kathryn Murphy was born January 25, 1941 in Trinidad, Colorado to Thomas Owen and Mary Charlotte (Hannig) Murphy. Her father called her “my little Skipper” at the age of two and the name stuck. She has been known as Skip ever since. She was the youngest of four children and was raised on her family’s farm north of Hoehne, Colorado, in the shadow of the Spanish Peaks and Fisher’s Peak. As children, after their chores were done, the Murphy kids were free to roam and play all over the farm. Playing games was also an important part of being a Murphy.
Skip graduated from Hoehne High School in 1959. She married Larry Simons on November 25, 1961 in Hoehne and began their lives near Happy, Texas for the next 60 years. She retired from the Swisher County Farm Service Agency in Tulia after twenty-two and a half years of service.
Central to Skip’s life were faith, family, friends and food. She had and unwavering faith in God and was a member of Holy Name Catholic Church in Happy. She loved the Lord with all of her heart; not only living out her faith, but generously giving her time and talent in service of the Lord. She loved her family unconditionally, and constantly demonstrated love and devotion to her husband, children and their spouses, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews. She also loved all of her “nother children” that were her children and grandchildren’s friends over the years.
Skip was blessed to have many good friends. She believed to have good friends, you had to be a good friend. Skip was loyal, and never met a stranger. Whether it was friends from Happy and Wayside, Jayceettes, 4-H, Church, the Ladies Bunko Group, or the many ball games and activities she and Larry attended, she enjoyed spending time with all of them.
And then there was the food. Skip loved cooking for family, friends and anyone who just might be hungry. She was an excellent cook, and instilled that love of cooking in her children. For many years, she wasn’t a fancy cook, but eventually she started catering and loved to create beautiful food arrangements for weddings, showers and large groups.
4-H was important to Skip and she believed in “Making the Best Better”. She met Larry at the Las Animas County Fair, raised their children as 4-H members and was a leader of the Happy 4-H Club and Swisher Couty 4-H for over 50 years. Skip was an innovative leader, and in the 1970s, started what is now known as Consumer Decision Making Judging. The first contests were held during Happy 4-H Club meetings, and eventually spread first to Swisher County, and then across District 2. Many years later, this judging program grew across the state of Texas and 4-Hers can now earn the right to participate in the contest at Texas State 4-H Roundup. Livestock projects were important to her family, and she enjoyed going with Larry and their children to show steers at shows across Texas. She and Larry received the Texas 4-H Legacy Leader Award in 2020 for outstanding service to Texas 4-H.
Skip loved to sing and listen to all kinds of music and enjoyed learning how to play the bass guitar in retirement. She was often asked to share her talent at funerals and other events. After singing at an event in Tulia, she liked to tell her family that David Otwell came up and said, “You are either blessed or cursed with perfect pitch.”
She was also a member of the Swisher County Museum Board and the former editor and publisher of the Happy Weekly News.
Skip is survived by two sons, Clay (Sharon) of Lincolnville, KS and Dwayne (Melissa) of Happy, TX; one daughter Megan (Dan) Horton of Shallowater, TX; six grandchildren, Carlye Simons (Mandy Calderon) of Eugene, OR, Lauren Picon of Denver, CO, Ty Simons of Westminster, CO, Cacey (Luke) Sizemore of Maize, KS, and Emma and Ellasyn Horton of Shallowater, TX; sisters Marge (Ted) Butler of La Conner, WA and Marion Dalvit of Hoehne, CO; brothers-in-law Harold (Annie) Simons of La Junta, CO, Jim Simons of Pueblo West, CO, sister-in-law Julie Murphy of Sun City, AZ; Larry’s Aunt Ruth Elaine Begio of Yankee, NM; and multitude of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Skip was preceded in death by her husband Larry; granddaughter Kirsten Simons; parents Tom and Charlotte (Hannig) Murphy; brother Bernard “Bud” Murphy; brothers-in-law Charles “Buddy” Dalvit, Everett Simons and his wife Jackie, and Dale Simons; and sisters-in-law Lori (DePeel) Simons and Nancy (Miller) Simons.
Micah 6:8 “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Skip lived her faith quietly and was an example to all. Her ability to turn everything over to God was her greatest strength. If there is one lesson to learn from her life, it is to live your faith.
The family requests that memorials be made to the Kirsten Dale Simons Memorial Scholarship Fund at Happy State Bank or Swisher County 4-H.