On August 10, 2020 Marian Sylvia Simons (nee Vogelsang) passed peacefully from this life at the age of 91. She was born October 5, 1928 to Erwin Emil (Shorty) Vogelsang and Marion Vogelsang (nee Cram) in Lander, Wyo. where she grew up. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, William and Erwin (Pete). She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Jerald Dean Simons and their three children and their spouses: Sandra McQueen (Max), Jimmy Simons (Theresa), and William Simons, as well as seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Marian met the love of her life on New Year's Eve, 1947-48, in St. Anthony, Idaho (she was going to beauty school in Idaho Falls). Within an hour, Jerry told her he was going to marry her and take her back to Alaska. She laughed at him, but on March 1, 1948 they were married and spent their honeymoon driving to Seattle where they boarded a C-47 to Alaska. A year later they flew back to Wyoming with their baby daughter, Sandra because both of their mothers were ill. They lived in Wyoming until 1959, when they returned to Alaska, driving the Alcan highway with their three children. They arrived in Anchorage in time to celebrate Alaska becoming the 49th state in the U.S.A.

Their Alaskan adventure included many hunting and fishing expeditions, camping trips, and building houses that Marian made into happy homes. Marian was skilled at preserving the fish and game Jerry brought home, and she kept the pantry full! One exciting event was the great earthquake of 1964, which the family home survived with minimal damage. After the children got older, Marian went back to school, and received certification as an assistant laboratory technician. When Jerry retired in 1984, they sold their home and bought a motor home, which they used to tour the country for many years, exploring every state in the union as well as every province in Canada. After a while, they bought a "Park Model" at Viewpoint Resort in Mesa, Arizona and divided their time between there and a home in Nampa, Idaho. They always found plenty of occasions to return to Alaska to spend time with their children and grandchildren. In 2018 they sold their home in Nampa. On Marian's 90th birthday they moved into Pioneer Village Assisted Living in Jacksonville, Oregon, near their son Jim, where they lived until her death.

Marian was a faithful and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and looked forward to being reunited with her family in Paradise. She was a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. She will be missed.

Graveside service will be at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 27, at the Ashton Pineview Cemetery.