Jean Renfrew (Gillespie) Simons
Marriages
Morris "Morry" Simons - November 11, 1944
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5B - April 21, 2011
Jean Renfrew Simons, 94,
Grand Junction, died April 20,
2011, at Hospice Care Center.
Services will take place at 11
a.m. Tuesday at First Presbyterian
Church. Burial is Wednesday
at the Crown Hill Cemetery
in Wheat Ridge.
Ms. Simons was a retired
school lunch cook for Jefferson
County.
Survivors include two sons,
Michael Alexander Simons of
Grand Junction and Douglas
Stewart Simons of Grand Junction;
fi ve grandchildren; and
two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions to
Hospice & Palliative Care of
Western Colorado, 3090B N. 12th
St., Grand Junction, CO 81506
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5B - April 22, 2011
Jean was born in Glasgow Scotland
to Alexander and Janet (Renfrew)
Gillespie on July 22, 1916.
The youngest of five children, she
was soon to be orphaned as her
mother died in the flu epidemic of
1918 and her father was killed in
a shipyard accident when she was
about ten. Her eldest sister took
charge of the family until a
guardian was assigned to help.
Jean and her next eldest sister,
Jenny, were soon sent to an orphanage
in Bridge of Weir, Scotland
where she would stay until
the age of 18. In 1934 she was reunited
with her four sisters and
brother in London were they
would live together during the
years leading up to and during the
war. There Jean was to meet,
Morris Simons “Morryâ€, her one
and only true love. They met
roller skating and they were both beautiful skaters. Stories abound of
the fun and frolic they had but that soon ended as the war began and
Morry left with the English Eighth Army for North Africa. They had
no idea he would be gone for over four and a half years. He sent a
steady flow of letters until all at once they stopped and none were
received for a year or more and Jean was sure he had been killed.
Then one day she received a huge sack full of letters that had been
held up. Morry eventually made it home safely and they were married
ten days later on November 11, 1944. They had two sons,
Michael Alexander and Douglas Stewart. Her sister Jenny met and
married an American GI (Uncle George) from Colorado and he took
her home. George and Jenny wrote numerous letters to Morry and
Jean about the beauty of Colorado urging them to immigrate and in
1957 they packed up the boys and were off to America aboard the
steamship RMS Mauritania. They had sold all of their belongings
and decided they would give it a year and if it worked out they
would stay and stay they did. Eleven years later in 1968, when they
were well established, Morry passed away. Jean never remarried.
She was a faithful wife and a wonderful loving mother. She worked
part-time as a cook for Jefferson County Schools. Jean loved to
bake and was known for her sausage rolls and sticky buns. She was
a dear wee Bonnie Lass.
She is survived by her sons, Michael (Karen) and Douglas (Jamee),
five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Jean was preceded
in death by her husband and her sisters, Nan, Mary, Jenny and her
brother, Alec.
A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church,
3940 27 1/2 Road on Tuesday April 26, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Arrangements
are in care of Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers please send memorial contributions to Hospice
and Palliative Care of Western Colorado 3090B North 12th Street
Grand Junction, CO 81506.
