Veronica Mary Simons

There are some individuals whose devotion to God and to neighbor is palpable and unswerving. Veronica Mary Simons, who died on August 10, age 99, at Marycrest Manor in Culver City, was one such individual. They are rare, and those who meet them know they have been given a gift and a role model.

Veronica was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania in 1923 to Polish immigrants, Sophie and Simon Semenovich. She was sister to Anne, Florence, Marcella and Sam, all of whom pre-deceased her. Veronica was a beautiful and petite young woman when she and her sister Florence came to Los Angeles, where they rented a room from a kind couple near Western Avenue. They later moved to a small apartment on Palm Avenue until Florence married. Joined by her Siamese cat "Chi-Chi" Veronica moved first to an apartment on Doheny Drive and then to an art deco apartment at the top of the hill on Crescent Heights in a neighborhood famously destroyed by a devastating fire in the early 1970s. Finally, she moved to Holloway Drive, near her beloved St. Victor Parish. Veronica largely worked in the restaurant hospitality business, first at Lawry's on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles and for 35 years at the historic celebrity frequented restaurant, the Cock n' Bull on Sunset Boulevard. She was known for her ability to remember large orders and her charm. Veronica was also known for her personal hospitality and dinner parties at her apartment.

But Veronica's heart was always with serving God as a faithful Roman Catholic, and in the early 1970s, she committed her life as a consecrated lay woman to Him at a ceremony presided over by the late Father John Hampsch at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel. She was an ardent pro-life advocate, proud of her three arrests in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Bernardino at peaceful prayer rallies to save the pre-born. She brought Communion to the sick at their homes and at healthcare facilities as an Extraordinary Minister from the moment that ministry became available to lay people. For many years, she held a weekly prayer group at her apartment. She taught many how to become closer to Our Lord through Mary by praying the Rosary. She was part of the hospitality group at the Southern California Renewal Community, a charismatic group. She organized and led the St. Victor Parish Legion of Mary for many years. She helped to catechize and sponsor many to Catholicism. Veronica, a daily communicant, was as close as anyone could be to her parish, living for some 45 years right next door. Faith, hope, and love for the Holy Trinity were her pillars. She traveled extensively, especially to the sites of God's miracles through Our Lady, like Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, and Medjugorje.

In her early 90s, Veronica became a resident at Marycrest Manor, where she was ministered to by the Carmelites, the staff, and since 2018, the extra caring hand of Mikki. In the early days, Veronica used to ask, "What is the Lord waiting for
" in bringing her home to Him. His purpose may well have been suffering for the salvation of souls and the reparation of sin, but it was clear to so many that she also was enduring purgatory on earth. It is not hard to imagine that she is experiencing the Beatific Vision as those who are left behind say their farewells. But prayers will always be coming her way. And we know that she is praying for us.

Veronica is survived by nieces, grandnieces, grandnephews and many, many friends, whose lives she richly touched.

Veronica's Funeral Mass will be on September 9, 2023 at 10 a.m. at St. Victor Catholic Church, 8634 Holloway Drive, West Hollywood, CA. Rosary at 9:30 a.m. Visitation at Holy Cross Cemetery, 5835 West Slauson Ave. Culver City, Sept. 8, between 3 and 6 p.m.

Requiescat in pace, Veronica.