Elizabeth M. Simmons

Elizabeth M. Simmons, age 76, of Tallahassee, Florida, passed away on February 29, 2016. She was born Elizabeth Mary Jerram on April 11, 1939 at home in the village of Eastbourne, New Zealand on Wellington harbor. She was the daughter of John Vickers Jerram and Mary Elizabeth Jerram (nee Gilmer). She lived in Eastbourne until she was a teenager and initially attended Muritai primary school. She soon transitioned to Samuel Marsden Collegiate School in Karori, a suburb of Wellington, as a day girl. When she was a teenager, her family moved to Auckland, New Zealand where she completed her secondary education at St. Cuthbert’s College. She continued her education in Auckland at Karitane Hospital taking a nursing course in mothercraft and children’s nursing, learning to assist newborns and mothers at home when the child was not thriving, and was certified as a New Zealand Karitane Nurse. Elizabeth provided nursing in a private home in Dunedin, New Zealand and then applied this training in Australia for a year or so, working on sheep stations and in private homes. Elizabeth lived in Oxford, England with her first husband for three years where her daughter Belinda was born. They then lived in Toronto, Canada for two years where her twins Nicholas and Sarah were born. They moved to Tallahassee, Florida, where, after a number of years, she completed a course in secretarial science at Tallahassee Community College. This was followed by employment at the Douglass Law Firm as a legal secretary and later as the firm’s receptionist, until her retirement. Elizabeth met her current husband, Nelson Simmons, in Tallahassee, where they married in 1978 and where she resided until her death. Together, Elizabeth and Nelson visited New Zealand and her extended family a number of times over the years, staying once in Tahiti, once with a cousin in Australia and a number of times in Honolulu, Hawaii. Elizabeth loved art and music (of many kinds), enjoyed beauty and particularly liked the coastal areas and beaches. She was a most kind and gracious lady, quiet and reserved in her manner and loved by all who knew her. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, wife, sister and aunt and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Elizabeth was predeceased by her father and mother, John and Mary Jerram, and a brother, Michael Jerram. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Nelson B. Simmons, daughter Belinda M. Gerber (Andy), Clemmons, NC, daughter Sarah L. Thompson (Scottie), Thomasville, GA, son Nicholas T. Harper (Emile), Birmingham, AL, and seven grandsons. She is also survived by her brothers Tim Jerram (Henny), Auckland, New Zealand, and Richard Jerram (Jan), Hamilton, New Zealand and by a sister Jenny Balfour (Ian), near Masterton, New Zealand, and by numerous nephews and nieces. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 3:00 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee, 2810 N. Meridian Rd. In Lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Blvd., Tallahassee, FL, 32308, or the Alzheimer’s Project, 301 East Tharpe St., Tallahassee, FL, 32303. In addition, the family wishes to express its appreciation of Visiting Angels of Tallahassee, a home health care agency, which has provided excellent care for Elizabeth for almost a year.

Tributes

Elizabeth M. Simmons

April 11, 1939 - February 29, 2016