Browse the obituary of residing in the province of T-N for funeral details
ERIC HUBERT SIMMS – April 09, 1934 – December 02, 2023
He has gone, not from us, but, before us.
Eric was born in Twillingate and died at the James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander
He was predeceased by his parents Cecil and Media Simms and brother-in-law, Roy Manuel
Left to share the memories of a life well lived are his wife Fannie, son Philip, daughter-in-law Laura, granddaughter, Ellie, sisters Verna (Sid) Manuel and Noreen (Toots) Manuel. He loved his many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and loads of friends. So, so many of them often commented that Eric gave the best hugs.
For a very brief time Eric taught in Twillingate but an accident (not associated with any of his pupils) shortened his time in the classroom and while recuperating at the hospital in Twillingate he made friends with a dentist from Ireland who needed an assistant. Thus began his life’s work as a dental technician – he made dentures! The dentist and Eric moved to Gander in 1955. The story of how he met Fannie has always remained a secret – they married in 1963 – and celebrated 60 years along with Verna and Sid who shared in the double wedding.
Eric’s very favourite pastime was reading but he also spent hours flying around the world on his flight simulator. He was one of the founding members of the Gander Flying Club and earned a private pilot’s license. He loved music but declared that he couldn’t sing a note. His ‘book room’ had shelves and shelves of books but there was a designed space for his tape player, his CD player and a turntable for the vinyl LPs. Sailing was another of his passions. He built a sailboat from a kit and coached Fannie into ‘the mate’ role as they explored Gander Lake from end to end. The Ontario boys were in their glee when Uncle Eric visited and spent time sailing with them on Lake Huron. In the late 70’s he discovered a love of camping and Philip was well acquainted with his own and neighbouring provinces before he hit the double digits. He also shared with Philip a serious interest in James Bond and they had fun hashing out the spectacular scenery and action scenes.
Eric found time to volunteer at his church as a member on several committees, as an AOTS member, as a Social Club member and when a sound booth was introduced he plied his knowledge of electronics as the ‘man in the booth’. He enjoyed his years as a member of the Kiwanis Club. The Music Festival was the highlight of the year but he made the dinner meetings
fun for everyone because his wife wasn’t there to interpret the menu. Yep, if you order onion soup you’ll find onions and cheese – he didn’t like either. He also volunteered to deliver Meals on Wheels and took time to chat with all the clients.
His Christmas job was the securing and decoration of the tree. Sometimes it took 3 days to put the tinsel, strand by strand, perfectly in place. He would be so happy to know that the leftover tinsel (he had a stash) found a new home.
His wicked sense of humour was one of his trademarks, whether it be placing puns as intended, choosing the word for its double meaning or teasing children, he got the biggest chuckle. One of the pre school children from Fannie’s baby sitting days told her father ‘Eric is funny, he pull us leg’.
In all his adult years, Eric never rented an apartment or stayed in a dorm. When he moved away from Twillingate and the care of a doting mother he became a boarder – didn’t have to cook, clean his room or even do his own laundry. Then he married and had to do all of those but hastened to admit that he had a good life because ‘I stepped on all the right rocks’.
Family will be accepting friends at Stacey’s Funeral Home, Gander on Tuesday, December 12th from 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
Funeral service will take place on Wednesday, December 13th at 2:00 P.M. from the Fraser Road United Church.
Cremation has taken place.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Eric’s memory may be made to Fraser Road United Church.
Arrangements entrusted through Stacey’s Funeral Home, Gander – Carmanville.
Saturday December 2nd 2023
Death notice for the town of: Carmanville, Province: T-N
death notice Eric Simms Saturday December 2nd 2023
obituaries notice Eric Simms Saturday December 2nd 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Eric Simms Saturday December 2nd 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
