~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, WA/DL pilot William Gordon Simons

October 25, 1938 ~ April 19, 2022

William Gordon Simons, 83, of Springfield, Oregon, passed away on April 19, 2022. Bill was born to parents Guy and Helen Simons in Seaside, Oregon on October 25th, 1938. He graduated from Springfield High School and obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon, after which he joined the Air Force and married Marilyn Williams. 

He spent eight years in the Air Force as a fighter pilot, including a year in Vietnam, and later enjoyed a long career as a commercial airline pilot with Western Airlines and Delta Airlines. After many years away due to his career, he moved back to Springfield and married Judith Yates. Following his years as a pilot, he briefly taught student pilots at Lane Community College before serving as the first Justice of the Peace for Lane County. Upon retirement, he fulfilled a lifelong desire to write a novel and continued to travel the world with Judy. 

Bill is predeceased by his parents and his older brother James, as well as his wife Judith. He is survived by his two sons, Lee and Steve, and four wonderful grandchildren. 

(Thanks to Carol Faulkner)

Posted online on April 30, 2022Published in The Register-Guard