- Date Of Birth: June 12, 1919
- Date Of Death: July 8, 2015
- State: Maryland
On July 8, 2015, Margaret J. Simmons, at age 96 passed peacefully succumbing to age related illnesses.
She moved to Maryland about 15 years ago to be closer to her immediate family. However she always considered Good Shepherd Baptist Church here in Richmond her home church. After retiring from teaching after 60 years, Mrs. Simmons’ heart for young people was troubled by the low SOL test scores of public housing children here in Richmond. Realizing that reading is the key to success she knew she had to do something. She used her own retirement money to fund an after school tutoring program to help children and after years of going it alone attracted the attention of a prominent developer who helped her acquire the support and funding to build a center (The Minority Youth Appreciation Society Center) for the program that still stands today.
Her selfless contribution to the lives of young people and the Church Hill community attracted the attention and recognition of Virginia governors Doug Wilder and George Allen and the program was recognized in 1992 as one of President George Bush’s Thousand Points of Light Award winners. Her legacy lives on her in Richmond and Mrs Simmons’ name still commands respect whenever it is mentioned.
She leaves behind a loving daughter, R. Andrea Simmons-Brooks, son-in-law-, Maurice Brooks, 2 grandsons Kellen and Jourdan and one great grandson, Ahmari. She also leaves behind a host of nephews, nieces, cousins, friends and family that she inspired by the way she lived her life.
