Judson Simmons’ optimism amazed his family and friends. No matter the situation, they all knew how Mr. Simmons would react.
“He really was the eternal optimist,” said Carlile Chambers, a childhood friend who lives in Atlanta. “And he thought everything was just going to be great.”
His optimistic approach gave his daughters fits, but they understood that is who their father was.
“It was inspiring in that he was able to let things roll off his chest,” said Julia S. Healy, a daughter who lives in Atlanta. “But I am a planner, and I like to plan.”
Mr. Simmons’ outlook allowed him to live every day to its fullest, said Alison Simmons, another daughter who lives in Atlanta.
“He worked very hard, but that was not all he did,” she said. “He fully enjoyed his life.”
Judson Hawk Simmons, of Atlanta, died unexpectedly Wednesday at Piedmont Hospital, from injuries sustained in a fall days earlier. He was 66.
His body was cremated and a memorial service has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Northside United Methodist Church. SouthCare Cremation Society and Memorial Centers, Marietta, was in charge of arrangements.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Mr. Simmons graduated from the Westminster Schools in 1964. He went on to attend Washington & Lee University, and graduated in 1968. After graduation he spent a year at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, and then on to the University of Georgia for law school. It was during that time that he met the former Candy Jones, who became his wife in 1972. The couple eventually had three daughters, and were married for more than 34 years when Mrs. Simmons died in 2007.
Before moving back to Atlanta, Mr. Simmons moved to Miami to clerk for the Honorable David W. Dyer, a judge for the 5th Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals; and then to New York to attend the Columbia University School of Law to earn a Master of Laws degree.
Once back in Atlanta, Mr. Simmons worked at several firms, practicing corporate law, his daughters said. At the time of his death, Mr. Simmons was the general counsel for Airo Wireless, a telecommunications company.
Friends of Mr. Simmons marveled at his strength and positivity over the past five weeks, after he buried his youngest daughter, Wendy Hawk Simmons. Born with spina bifida, Ms. Simmons was paralyzed and cared for by her parents.
“After our mom died, he did everything in his power to make sure [Wendy] was as comfortable as possible,” Alison Simmons said of her father.
Colleagues describe Mr. Simmons as brilliant, compassionate and humble.
“I am hard-pressed to describe what a remarkable human being Jud was,” said Jules Stine, of Atlanta, a friend and business associate. “He had all of those qualities that speak to humanity in us, but that many of us will never possess.”
In addition to his two daughters, Mr. Simmons is survived by his brother, Jim Simmons of Macon; and his sister, Mary Jane Candler of Atlanta.
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