Richard “Dick” Simmons, past president and range rider emeritus, died on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Many members will recall Dick’s cowboy hat, which he always wore to conferences and meetings as a Range Rider.
Dick joined FCCMA in 1951 and was an active member until the day he died. Dick started his public service career in Kissimmee as an administrative assistant. He then served in Melbourne, West Palm Beach, again in Kissimmee and then finally retired from Davenport in 1992.
After his retirement from public service, he served FCCMA for 20 years as a range rider. He retired from riding the range last July and became range rider emeritus. At the 2012 conference he was awarded the President’s Award for all of his service. This is one of FCCMA’s most prestigious awards.
Dick started an internship program in West Palm Beach and always worked to assist the emerging leaders. There is a large group of current FCCMA members who started their careers with Dick. Many of them went on to become presidents of the Association.
Visitation will be 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., Friday, March 22 at Osceola Memory Gardens Funeral Home, Kissimmee Chapel. Services to celebrate his life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, March 23 at First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee.
