Joseph Simmons

Joseph Raymond Simmons of NLR, age 62, passed away January 6th. Born in Charleston, AR, July 19, 1944, son of Clifton and Christine Erman Simmons. He was the youngest of nine children.

His mother, father and one sister precede him in death.

After serving in the United States Air Force, he moved to NLR where he met and married Dorothy Nelson, to whom he was married to for 30 years and is still living.

His daughter Lisa Shuffield and grandson Joseph Shuffield survive him. He is survived by five sisters; Billie Smith of Branch, AR, Joanne Louttit of Denver, NC, Betty Harrison of Charleston, AR, Corene Hogan of Broomfield, CO, and Lorene Miller of Waunakee, WI and two brothers; Richard Simmons and Robert Simmons both of Ft. Smith, AR along with numerous nieces and nephews.

He worked as a crane operator on Lock and Dam 6 when his daughter was born in 1965. Afterwards, he traveled throughout the United States as a heavy machine operator and rigger for Southwest Industries and Plant Services of Little Rock. In 1980, he started LDJ, Inc. a successful business in concrete core drilling and wall sawing, which he continued until he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig?s disease in 2004.

He was involved in numerous community and civic activities. He once held the position of President of Boosters for Better Downtown North Little Rock, served on the board of the Argenta Community Development Corp. He cooked thousands of hamburgers and hot dogs for Night out Against Crime, Boy Scouts of America Troop 25, and other community functions. He also held the position of President of the NLR Civil Service Commission and was still participating on the board. He sponsored LDJ Cream Puffs and LDJ Rockers, which were girl?s softball teams for Burns Park and also coached some. For several years he modeled boxer shorts to help raise money for the Special Olympics. The city of NLR held a Joe Simmons Appreciation Day for him in 2004 and presented him with several awards from Mayor Pat Hayes and other community leaders and organizations.

He loved to Ballroom Dance and was President of the USABDA. He once entered several competitions in Cancun, Mexico against others from all over and won first place in all three of his categories. His specialty was the West Coast Swing. He appeared as an extra in two movies, ?End of the Line? and ?Stone Cold?. He was featured in numerous commercials for Isle of Capri Casino and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette along with other businesses. He also appeared in an ad for Arkansas the Natural State that was displayed in the Little Rock Airport.

Music was also a major part of his life. He loved to collect old 8 track tapes and players. He was always listening to music and was enjoying singing until the day he passed. He serenaded many family and friends with his Elvis impersonations.

He was a genius when it came to anything mechanical. He had several patents on different pieces of equipment and machinery. When things became difficult for him to use his hands he devised different tools to enable him to continue to live independently for as long as he could.

Lou Gehrig?s disease took his life. He continued to tell everyone he was going to beat it and he believed this until the end.

He was a very loving and caring father; grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He never met a stranger and will be missed by so many.

Family request that memorials be made in his honor to the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Arkansas Hospice.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:00 A.M., Wednesday at St. Patrick?s Catholic Church. Committal service will be 2:00 P.M. Wednesday at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Highway 22, Charleston, Arkansas.

Vigil service will be 7:00 Tuesday at North Little Rock Funeral Home, 1921 Main St., 758-1170. Online obituary and guest register at www.northlittlerockfunerlhome.com