Linda Simon

Linda Susan Simon of Westminster, Colorado passed away at home on March 12, 2010, at the age of 51 after a long illness. Born in Belle Fourche, South Dakota on July 13, 1958, to Charles “Cecil” and Esther (Evey) Martin, Linda was the second-youngest sibling in a family of eight. She grew up in Newcastle, Wyoming and Centennial, Wyoming, attending Laramie (WY.) High School and Platte Valley Academy in Shelton, Nebraska. After her son Steven Jeremy Martin was born in Laramie in 1977, Linda moved to Denver, settling in Westminster in 1979. She attended Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado. With her sister Patricia Markgraf, Linda incorporated and operated Daisy Fresh Carpet-Cleaning service in Westminster in the early and mid-1980’s. She was married to John D. Simon on September 23, 1984, in Custer, South Dakota. She became a Notary Public and was office manager of her husband’s law practice in the late 1980’s. Shortly after the birth of her daughter Jacey Heather Simon in 1986, Linda was involved in an auto accident when another driver ran a red light, which then required six years of treatment for TMJ complications. This culminated in her undergoing reconstructive jaw surgery in 1991 when she was also first diagnosed with Late-Onset Type 1 Diabetes during routine pre-surgery screening, although she wouldn’t require insulin injections for several more years. After completing accident-related orthodontic treatment in 1992-93, Linda went on to study for her real estate broker license. She worked as a Realtor at Frontier Better Homes & Gardens in Westminster, taking off time in 1995-96 to care for her husband when he was undergoing treatment for testicular cancer. In 1997, Linda went into a diabetic coma that was caused by generalized sepsis related to an undiagnosed infection behind her right knee that she had twisted earlier, and spent several days in intensive care and then was hospitalized for two more weeks while having infection-related knee surgery. In 2000, she was hospitalized again with a dangerously high fever and then suffered a heart attack while in the hospital. Her diabetic complication-related disabilities eventually forced her into early retirement as a Realtor during this time. During the last decade, she had to undergo considerable medical testing related to what was believed to have been a series of TIA’s that led to her experiencing declining manual dexterity and reduced motor skills that impaired her mobility. She also had repeated treatments for necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorm-related chronic leg infections and underwent several laser surgeries for diabetic retinitis as well as having cataract surgery, but she did so without ever complaining about her underlying condition. She was an excellent cook and a lifetime vegetarian who enjoyed movies, interior decorating and trips to Central City, Colorado and Las Vegas & Mesquite, Nevada. She is survived by her husband John D. Simon, by son Jeremy Martin, by daughter Jacey Simon; by mother Esther Martin Markey; by brothers Warren Martin, John Martin & Charles Martin; by sisters Carol Bloom, Patricia Markgraf & Lisa Johnson; by aunt Doris & uncle Frank Giesen; by niece Lyndsey Markgraf and numerous nieces, nephews & cousins; by mother-in-law Dorothy B. Simon; by numerous brothers & sisters-in-law; and by beloved pets BJ, Joey and Jack. She was preceded in death by her father Charles Cecil Martin, by stepfather Woody Markey, by sister-in-law Ann Martin, by brother-in-law Robert Simon, by father-in-law John P. Simon, and by close friend Shirley Harrison. The personal basis of Linda Simon’s lifetime of Stoic Ethics: Wisdom and Self-Control. She was a loving mother and spouse, and she maintained her good humor despite her travails. She will be greatly missed.