Lillian "Lil" Eleanore Burkart Simons

Lillian “Lil” Eleanore Burkart Simons, 89, of The Villages, Florida, died on August 1st, at home, and after a short illness. Lillian was born in Newark, NJ, where she attended Sacred Heart School. She attended a business high school, and after graduation, she was employed as a secretary at a bookkeeping company for a short time. A year later, she changed jobs, working in the same capacity at Bristol Meyers, in Newark. Lillian met her husband, Matthew (Matt) Robert Simons (d. 2023) at a soccer game in Newark, NJ. Matt left to serve in the U.S. Army in Korea just a few days later, and the two corresponded by mail for three years. When Matt returned to the U.S., the couple began dating, and they were married in 1955. Lil and Matt lived for a short period in Irvington, NJ, after which time they bought a home in Pompton Plains, NJ. They lived there for five years, relocating to Bradenton, FL, and two years later, they moved back to Pompton Plains. There, for the next 33 years, they raised their three children, Matthew Joseph, Patricia Lynn, and Ann Marie. Lil was a fun-loving and affectionate wife and mother. She planted April Fool’s pranks in her kids’ homemade school lunches (rubber bands in sandwiches, cardboard inside gum wrappers, food coloring in their milk thermoses), she short-sheeted their beds (even though she had to remake them), and she made the longest and most boring car trips fun, by bringing bags of small, wrapped toys for each of her kids, to be distributed when tempers were starting to ramp up in the car. Lil and Matt planned small, surprise trips (such as a night at the drive-in movie with lunch box snacks and pajamas), and Lil wrote her planning lists using her steno skills, to outwit her nosey kids’ attempts at foiling each surprise. Lil even warmed her children’s winter clothes in the oven before sending them out to play in the snow, and thankfully, the house never burned down! Lil’s cooking skills were renowned among family and friends. Her chicken soup, her fresh iced tea, her creamy cheesecake, and her sauerbraten dinners were the stuff of legend. Lil was also a lifelong fan of the TV show, Jeopardy, and every family member and friend knew enough not to call on the phone or visit during those thirty sacred minutes. Over the years, this situation became a sweet, family joke. Her children all have a love of music, as there was always music playing in the home. Lil’s unconditional love for Matt, and for her children, was evident in every delicious meal, on every family occasion, and in every happy and sad moment. She was beautiful inside and out…truly a one-in-a-million wife and mother. Lil and Matt moved to The Villages, FL, in 1998. They enjoyed a long and happy retirement, together. They both took up golf, and when Lil joined Connie Waldron’s dance troupe, her joy in life grew exponentially in those seventeen years of dancing. She found her love of dance, and most importantly, she formed many long-lasting friendships among the dancers, some of whom are still in her life, today. Over the years, Lil and Matt’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren enjoyed many warm and fun-filled vacations in The Villages. The NJ family members were especially enthralled with the many golf- cart driving opportunities! Lil is preceded in death by her husband, Matt, her father, Franz Josef, her mother, Sophie Zimpfer, and her older brothers, Walter and Richard. Lil is survived by her three children, Matt (Pat) Simons of Galloway, NJ, Patty of The Villages, FL, and Ann Marie (Steve), of Pompton Plains, NJ; five grandchildren, Joe (Anna) Simons, Kathleen Simons, Maureen (Dan) Martin, Danielle Contaldi and Stephanie Contaldi; and four great grandchildren, Emma Simons, Ellie Simons, Daniel Martin, and Sean Martin; as well as many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org), Tunnels To Towers (https://www.t2t.org), or Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC (www.childrensnational.org). The family of Lil Simons wishes to also recognize the caring staff of Cornerstone Hospice and My Brother’s Keeper, two local caregiving organizations, for the exceptional, compassionate care Lil received.

Lillian "Lil" Eleanore Burkart Simons

April 30, 1936 - August 1, 2025