SIMMONS, Alfred Elwood (Spike)

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ 08/15/2014 Alfred Elwood “Spike” Simmons, 85, died Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at his home in Lakeside following a long illness. He was born Dec. 19, 1928, at the home of Lawrence and Clara Simmons’ home in Redwood Valley, Calif. Spike grew up on his family’s farm and attended a boarding high school near Fresno, Calif. After high school, he attended college for two years before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1951, where he would eventually decide to serve until retirement. While in the Air Force, he achieved the rank of technical dergeant, working as a radar technician. He was proud to have been part of the team that built the Air Force’s B-52 bomber radar scoring site in Holbrook in the late ‘60s, the location where he finished his Air Force career. By this time, Holbrook had grown on him and he decided to make the community his permanent home. After retiring from the Air Force, he worked the next 20 years as a bartender in Holbrook. This was followed by a 13-year run as a Holbrook city councilman, a span he believed was longer than any previous to him. He also served many years with the Little Colorado River Plateau Resource Conservation and Development Area and other civic organizations including the Elks Lodge and the American Legion. Civic service was profoundly meaningful to Spike, who believed it was his duty to serve the community. He was a student of history and a lover of classical music. He spoke several languages, including Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Lakota Sioux. He is survived by his daughters, Doreen Ann Simmons of Victoria, Texas, Francine Ann Simmons of Peoria and Irene Mae Simmons of Albuquerque, N.M.; sons Floyd Lawrence Simmons of Lakeside, Gordon Simmons of Charleston, W.Va., Paul Simmons of Texas; stepdaughters Vivian Gabaldon of Albuquerque, N.M., and Jeanette Garlinger of Phoenix; and stepson Walter Quigley of Phoenix. A memorial service and potluck lunch will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Elks Lodge in Holbrook with military honors served by the Holbrook American Legion. There will be no burial following the service. His remains will be scattered over the community he loved, Holbrook, in accordance with his wishes.