Helen Frances Simmons

Helen Frances Simmons

December 18, 1939 – September 21, 2026

Helen Frances Simmons was called home to be with the Lord on September 21, 2026, at St Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, WA, with her loving family nearby. She was 86 years old and will be greatly missed. A celebration of Helen’s life is anticipated sometime in the future. No date has yet been set.

Helen was born in Long Beach, CA, on December 18, 1939, just before WWII to a Navy family. She was the second of five children born over a span of 19 years to CWO Chester Lee and Nina Geraldine Harvey, who preceded her in death, along with her sister, Leora “Lee” Elaine Hanson (Frederick N. Hanson) of Gig Harbor, WA.

As a navy child, Helen’s early years were spent near naval bases along the west coast in both Washington and California. Her father was at sea much of the time and her mother, Nina, headed the household while caring for Helen, her older brother Chet and baby sister Leora in those years. Nina taught Helen to say her prayers at bedtime and to give thanks before meals. Helen was baptized at the age of 12 at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Long Beach, California.

Helen was 15 years old and living with her family at their Tennessee Street home in Vallejo, CA near the Mare Island Shipyard, when her younger sister, Lee, introduced her to her only love and future husband, Gordon Edwards Simmons. Gordon, then also 15, lived with his family in a nearby cul-de-sac. He was shooting archery with other neighborhood kids, including young Lee one day, when the boys of the group noticed Lee’s 15- year-old sister mowing the lawn. Lee was dispatched with a note to invite Helen to come over and get acquainted. Little did any of them know that Helen and Gordon would marry 6 years later, bringing both the Simmons and Harvey families together forever.

Helen attended Vallejo Jr. High School and graduated together with Gordon in 1957 from Vallejo Sr. High School. Helen was an excellent student and enjoyed participating in a local chapter of Rainbow Girls, singing in her church choir, and helping to care for two of her much younger siblings. She also mostly taught herself to play the piano and read music after a just few lessons. She developed fantastic fashion design and sewing skills while creating beautiful one-of-a-kind gowns for Rainbow functions and school dances, as well as sewing popular skirts of the time worn with multiple petticoats and other clothing for school. A short time later, the Harvey family settled in a historic Victorian home in the neighboring town of Benicia, CA where her parents lived for the next 27 years. During this time, Helen began her college education at the age of 17, first attending the University of Redlands, then Vallejo Jr. College, and later graduating from Chico State University with a degree in Education and Teaching Certification. Though she dreamed of being a fulltime homemaker and mother, it was important to Helen to be capable of supporting herself and her family should the need arise. Future husband Gordon, remained in Vallejo, moving onto the campus of the California Maritime Academy where he studied for 3 years to obtain his degree in Mechanical Engineering, Coast Guard License, and commission as Ensign in the US Navy Reserve.

Shortly after graduation, they wed at Saint Peter’s Chapel on Mare Island in June of 1961 with a grand reception following the ceremony at the Harvey home in Benecia, CA. Gordon, who had been away at sea with the Merchant Marine, arrived just in time to be with “His Bride” at the wedding alter. From that day forward, whenever he referred to his betrothed, he preferred to call her by that name. The couple made their first home in Honolulu, Hawaii for six months, where they also honeymooned.

The couple moved to Charleston, S.C. in 1962, after Helen had completed a long term teaching contract in Vallejo upon their return from Hawaii. In Charleston, Gordon continued his career with Westinghouse as a Field Engineer managing testing and maintaining missile launch systems on several classes of US Submarines. In 1964 the couple welcomed the birth of their daughter Holly Ann in Charleston. Later that same year, they moved into the home they then shared for 62 years in Port Orchard. Their son, Gordon Simmons Jr. was born in 1965 in Bremerton Hospital. Helen was an extremely loving, steadfast, and supportive wife and mother, who filled her home with joy and love and delighted in the stability of her home in Port Orchard after moving so often in her younger years.

Helen was also a wonderful friend. She was especially close to her neighbor of 54 years, the late Bette Adams, who moved into her home next door with her husband, “Jack”, just before Helen and Gordon settled into theirs. Helen and Bette had a well-worn path between their homes. Among their many shared activities, they learned to decorate elaborate tiered cakes using Wilton methods and equipment and, for a time, formed a small business together making wedding cakes. Helen always delighted her children and friends with creative, themed, birthday and special occasion cakes. She even made a gorgeous wedding cake for her daughter’s wedding many years later, along with tiered wedding cakes for both her parents’ and parents-in-law’s 40th wedding anniversaries many years beforehand.

Soon after settling in Port Orchard, the couple was introduced to Harper Evangelical Free Church, a.k.a. “Harper Church.” The young family attended services and took part in many church activities. Helen joined the choir under the direction of the late Robert Lawrence and, for many years, cherished Wednesday evening rehearsals and preparations for Sunday services and special cantatas. She once oversaw the construction of an elaborately decorated float that carried the entire choir and accompanist through Port Orchard’s annual Fathoms of Fun Parade. Helen and Gordon also led Harper’s teenage youth group for several years while their own children were young. They organized social events for the teens, including ice skating at the former rink in Lakewood, sledding at Snoqualmie Pass, box socials at the church, and other gatherings.

In the mid-1970s, when her children were in elementary school, Helen founded and directed Harper’s only children’s choir, the “Junior Voices,” also known as the “JVs”. Their performances included elaborate productions, especially two musicals of which she was particularly proud: “Down by the Creek Bank” and “Goliath.” These shows allowed her to combine her talents in music, costume design, sewing, and set design while teaching the church’s children of God’s love and recruiting other volunteers. In 1976, she produced a large Bicentennial program with the JVs. Around the same time, Helen formed a trio with her friends, the late Kathy Dullum and Sharon Gakin, and made matching performance dresses for them. The trio sang at many venues and regularly ministered through music at the Purdy Women’s Treatment Center. Helen also volunteered to entertain residents of a local nursing facility with her young daughter, who was learning to play the piano. Years later, Helen continued to serve as a pianist at church gatherings and funerals whenever needed.

In the summer of 1981, Helen created a legacy that lasted over 25 years in the Port Orchard community when she crafted a mascot costume for the South Kitsap Wolves, first worn by her daughter, Holly, in the Fall of that year. “Roscoe De Wolf” as she named him and came to be known, was a megahit at football games and other school and sporting events. Helen crafted Roscoe’s head from a chicken-wire sculpture she made and laid with painted fiberglass in the backyard. She cut and sewed his chubby body from deep gray faux fur that mimicked real wolf fur. His broad grin was lined with sharp teeth of plexiglass and had a long slightly dangling red velvet tongue. She attached a rubber squeeze-bulb horn for his nose. His feet were covered in fur also, with her son’s used wrestling boots underneath, attached to much larger foot soles. The engineering for how the large head and body were worn was done in collaboration with her husband, Gordon, who was always ready and willing to help bring her dreams to reality. In addition to the body, Helen crafted costumes and accessories for Roscoe, including a tuxedo for his piano performance in the HS Talent competition, and a giant painted gym bag painted with school regalia on wheels to hold various props on the sideline, as well as his costume when not in use. She and Holly had so much fun that year collaborating on the project and developing his character, antics, props and performances.

In similar fashion, she designed and bedazzled a facsimile of Elvis’ famous “Aloha Jumpsuit” for her much younger brother, Harold, an Army officer based in Europe in the early 1990s, with a knack for impersonating his musical hero. The red and white costume she designed and sewed with flared bell bottoms, a large collar, and belt was covered in 1400 sequins and faux rhinestones, each placed by hand. Harold and his costume performed at parties and clubs all over Europe and at venues in the US. The costume was a total hit, and her younger brother was always so proud to let people know his sister had made it for him. Helen really knew how to please people and loved doing so with gifts of her time and considerable talent.

When Helen’s two children set off for college at the University of Washington, Helen attended classes at a branch of Central Washington University to update her degree in Education and obtain a Washington State teaching certificate. Upon completion, she taught as a substitute in the South Kitsap School District for a few years, but decided she preferred “The Good Life,” as she called it, making a happy, peaceful home for she and her husband to share as “empty nesters”.

In 1984, Helen and Gordon began a new chapter in their lives when they purchased an old farmhouse on acreage near the Harper Dock that had belonged previously to one of Gordon’s closest friends and mentors, the late Willard Fletcher. They worked together to create a lovely, peaceful, happy gathering place for their extended family, complete with a pond and extensive flower gardens. The resulting gather spot, which they affectionately named “The Farm,” reflected Helen’s desire to keep her extensive family together, as her own mother, Nina, had always strived to do. In 1989, Helen’s mother and father sold their home in Benicia and came to live in the farmhouse to be closer to family in the area. Though Helen’s father, Chester, passed away a short time later in 1990, his wife, Nina, remained in the house for 9 years. Shortly after Chester’s passing, Helen and Gordon worked tirelessly to whip “The Farm” into tip-top shape for their daughter’s outdoor wedding and reception in August of 1991. It was truly a gift to the young bride and groom to be married in such a special beautiful setting.

In 1993, Helen welcomed the birth of her first grandchild, Kayla, born to her son Gordon and his wife in April of that year. Helen was a devoted grandmother, and it brought her joy to make clothing, cakes, and doll clothes for her young granddaughter and to spend time with her. She later enjoyed her dancing and horseback riding endeavors. In 1999 and again in 2003, she became grandmother to two grandsons, Reid and Ryan, born to her daughter, Holly and her husband. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, celebrating holidays and birthdays with them, and attending their sports, school events, musical performances, and other activities. She loved them dearly and was a wonderful grandmother to all three. She was thrilled to travel with her family to attend Kayla’s wedding in Utah in September of 2024, and the college graduations of her two grandsons in 2022 and 2025. The 2025 trip included a tour of Yellowstone National Park.

When on “The Farm,” Helen delighted in working alongside Gordon to create beautiful floral landscapes from tiny seeds to tall, flourishing plants over many seasons. The flowers became her special ministry. She shared them weekly during blooming season as alter decorations to be enjoyed by Sunday congregations, arriving early each week with Gordon, to place them before others arrived. She also cut and arranged bouquets of flowers for family, friends, and others when she thought a little joy or comfort was needed. The simple gesture of sharing the beautiful fruits of her labor and God’s blessings brought her great happiness and fulfillment. She was especially fond of zinnias of all shapes and colors (for their resistance to deer, of course!) as well as fragrant roses. Helen and Gordon’s beautiful garden was captured perfectly a few years ago by her eldest grandson, Reid, who created a drone video with music that she cherished and watched frequently; usually smiling sentimentally in perfect contentment, while sitting and holding Gordon’s hand in their side-by-side chairs as it played.

Helen is survived by her beloved husband of 65 years, Gordon Edwards Simmons. Proverbs Chapter 31 describes the qualities of an excellent wife: Her husband’s heart trusts her, and she does him good all the days of her life. Proverbs also asks the question, “who can find a virtuous woman?” and I, her husband, Gordon, can stand and shout “I DID!”

Helen is also survived by her daughter Holly Parsons (Keith) of Renton, WA and their two grown children, Reid Parsons of Cocoa Beach, Florida and Ryan Parsons of Bozeman, Montana; son Gordon Simmons, Jr. (Suzi) and his daughter Kayla Finnegan (Sean) of Utah; older brother, Chester Harvey (Luretta) of Soap Lake, WA; younger brother Harold Harvey (Robin) of Boulder City, NV; younger sister Sara Weyrick (David) of Maple Valley, WA; Sister-in-law Susan Simmons (James) of Redmond, WA and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.