George Simmonds of San Carlos, passed away just before his 95th birthday. George
was born in Halle (an der Saale) Germany. He and his parents fled the Nazis and
arrived in New York City in July of 1939. They settled in Springfield, Massachusetts.

George loved music and from an early age began violin lessons after his father bought
him an old 1700s German violin. He not only played the violin in the school orchestra,
but sang in two synagogue choirs as a young man before attending college.

George graduated from Yale University in history in 1951, and later obtained his PhD in
Russian History from Columbia's Russian Institute (now Harriman Institute).

During those years he married Florence Simmonds from an Italian family (born Faggioli)
whom he met at Classical High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Florence played
the piano and they met through music. They were married until Florence's death in
2010. They had two children-- David and Katherine.

George was drafted during the Korean War and stationed at Fort Bragg where he would
sometimes joke that he "taught the Generals Russian".

George's first career was as a history professor at Elmira College (New York) and later
at Wayne State University and University of Detroit. George left teaching in 1979 and
headed to Washington DC where he worked for the US government in Russian
research mainly in Soviet technology and later in nuclear-non-proliferation. He fully
retired in 1996 after a long career.

He and Florence enjoyed music, travel (mostly to Italy where they went frequently), the
arts, and a little dose of politics. George was so knowledgeable, that he always enjoyed
speaking with people on many topics.

George and Florence moved to California in 2006 to be nearer to their children, first to
Palo Alto and then to San Carlos.

George loved California and appreciated it's beauty, but particularly the friends he made
at his senior exercise class to whom he was devoted. He also continued to play the
violin and joined a few Peninsula amateur orchestras, and played chamber music with
friends until the pandemic cut short his favorite activities.

George leaves behind his son David Simmonds (Los Angeles) and daughter Katherine
Simmonds (San Mateo), his close friend of many years--Garnet Spielman, cousin
Claude Friedmann and his family, cousin Peter Loehr and wife Margot (Germany) and many friends.