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April 28, 2022
Richard Dennis Simonds
CO-162 Black Sheep Senior Squadron
Colorado Wing
Richard Dennis Simonds of Littleton Colorado died quietly in his sleep with his wife beside him on 4/6/22 after a 5 year fight with cancer. He was 70 years old.
He was born on 3-31-52 in Mt Vernon, New York to Geri and Robert Simonds who later moved to Littleton Colorado. After studying auto mechanics he started a long career at US west as a garage attendant, mechanic, then phone switch technician, finally retiring after 40+ years. He met and married his wife Gail Kolinski in 1979. Their son Kevin, a great source of pride for them, was born in 1985. On Gail's passing in 1997 Rick raised his son with the help of many family and friends through Scouting, Civil Air patrol and private Catholic schools. He met and married Jane Berger in 2008 and his son went on to fulfill his dream of becoming a US Airforce Pilot.
Rick had diverse interests. A childhood obsession with cars meant that he could ID most any vintage car by year, make, and model. He learned to fly small planes as a young man then volunteered for search and rescue with Civil Air patrol. There he flew missions, kept records and would do orientation flights to share his love of flying with young CAP cadets. For many years he was active in church distributing communion and more recently joined Knights of Columbus working fish fries.
Rick had a great passion for camping, fishing, and hiking which he shared with Kevin. He organized the yearly family men's fishing trip and had women join as the trip evolved. His bond with his first wife's family never flagged and he gladly joined another big Catholic family in his second marriage. It was an easy task for a guy who always had a humorous story or an unexpected funny reply. He knew when to check up on a friend, or when to hold his tongue. Rick was our good friend, always. Never afraid of hard work. Always happy to meet up with friends. A dedicated parent and spouse.
Rick is preceded in death by his parents Geri and Robert and by his first wife Gail. He is survived by his brother Warren; his son Kevin, Kevin's wife Yang Yang, and their sons Jasper and Mason; Rick's current wife Jane and her children Joel, Anna, and Mark and their families.