Earl Simmons, age 87, of Warrior, AL passed away on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. He is preceded in death by his loving wife of 63 years, Helen Ann Simmons; parents, Walter E. Simmons and Ludie Barnes; and siblings, Clifford Simmons, Lyfus Simmons, Thelma Reynolds, Harley Simmons, Oscar Carl Simmons, Rufus Simmons, and his twin sister, Merl Mayo. Earl is survived by his two children, Steve (Kathy) Simmons and Annette (Stephen) Payne; sister-in-law Mary Magdalene (Alvis) Hancock, and brother-in-law Paul (Wanda) Rivers; many grandchildren: Josh (Loan) Simmons, Matt (Angel) Simmons, Krista (Kevin) McDowell, Nicholas Morris, David (Lisa) Morris, Heather (Ryan) Seymore, and Amber (Will) Crowder; even more great-grandchildren: Peyton Simmons, Ben Simmons, Anastasia Lozada, Brianna Blackmon, Marcus Sherman, Jacob Morris, Sierra Morris, Colton Simmons, Georgie Crowder and Daisy Crowder. He also leaves behind a 12-year-old cat named Prince, who will miss his favorite human (especially the daily scratches on the head with a back scratcher).

Earl will be missed by many, especially by a bunch of old, non-running lawnmowers that he had rescued from yard sales over the years. He was sweet and humble, but an ingenious man who could fix just about anything. That is unless it involved cooking scrambled eggs. He loved repairing computers, and gave several of his grandchildren an early and thorough education on how to run DOS on the computer. Earl had a wonderful sense of humor and always had a joke or pun ready to put a smile on your face. His motto was he was going to live until he died. It was a testament to his family that hard work and determination can get you far in life, regardless of your beginning of life. His family was his world, and we will cherish every memory and miss him forever.

A visitation for Earl will be held at Messmer Goodwin Funeral Home on Friday, February 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., with the funeral service beginning at 11:00 a.m. Bro. Paul Rivers to officiate. Interment to follow at Sulphur Springs Cemetery.