John James Simon's Obituary
John James Simon of Aurora, Colorado, age 94, went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on October 10, 2014. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 14, 1920 and attended the University of Missouri where he met Juliet McCann Ridley. They married on August 2, 1941 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. After being commissioned an Army second lieutenant in 1942, John began his military service in field artillery but soon transferred to aviation training, finally qualifying as a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot. After traveling to Scotland on the Queen Mary, John was assigned to the 86th Air Depot Group in late 1944, as a test pilot for repaired aircraft. In April of 1945 he was assigned to the 522nd Squadron of the 27th Fighter Group, flying P-47s on ground attack and bomber escort missions. One mission to strafe a Munich air field was almost John’s last. Intense machine gun fire peppered his P-47 causing the engine to momentarily falter. However he did make it back where his crew chief discovered 272 holes in the plane and two of the eight machine guns destroyed. In April, 1945, John and some fellow pilots borrowed a jeep to drive to the front to look for war souvenirs. What they found instead was the Dachau concentration camp on the very day it was liberated, becoming eyewitnesses to the Holocaust. VE day saw the 522nd at Biblis, a former Luftwaffe air field. Afterward, John served with the occupying forces in Frankfurt, Germany, returning to the US in 1948. After transitioning to the Air Force in 1947, John remained on active duty for 20 years. He served at Air Force bases in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri and California and had one foreign tour as the Operation Officer of the 26th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines where he flew F-86D Saber Jets. He retired on June 30, 1963 as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his military career, John was awarded the following medals and awards: Air Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, Army Commendation Ribbon, WW II Victory Medal, EAME Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Long Service Award with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters and Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. After retiring to Richardson, Texas, John worked for Collins Radio Company for 24 years. When Julie Simon died on May 25, 1985, John thought he would never be happy again. But two years later, he married the second love of his life, Janice Elaine Ward, on September 19, 1987. They shared 27 wonderful years in Aurora, Colorado. John is preceded in death by his father and mother, Frank F. Simon and Hazel G. Simon; his sister, Trudy Heinsohn; his first wife, Julie Simon. He is survived by his wife, Janice Simon, son, Frank Simon and his wife, LaVerne; son, John Simon and his wife, Martha, his wife’s daughter, Lucy Bradford; his wife’s son, Jeff Ward and his wife, Robin, 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. The memorial service for John Simon will be at 11:00 AM, Thursday, November 13, 2014 at Trinity Fellowship Church in Richardson, Texas. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, at Restland Road, Dallas, TX 75238. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Trinity Fellowship Church.
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