Gerald R. Simmons Sr.

Simmons, Gerald R. Sr. BRUNSWICK Gerald R. Simmons Sr., 85 of Moonlawn Road, passed away on Thursday, December 9, 2021, at Samaritan Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Born in Troy, he was the son of the late Glenford and Elsie Rawlins Simmons. He was a 1956 graduate of Lansingburgh High School. Jerry joined the U.S. Army and served in Germany with the 7th Army Military Police. Upon being honorably discharged in 1959, he joined the Troy Police Department. In 1963, he left the police department to take a full-time position with the original Troy Ambulance Service. He then became an E.M.T. Jerry had a love of horses and raised his three boys on Stone Hill Stables in Haynersville. He purchased a home in Center Brunswick and joined the Center Brunswick Fire Dept. and held the position of captain of the fire police, safety officer and chaplain. He was an active member of the Brunswick Sportsman Club, the N.R.A. and N.Y.S. Rifle and Pistol Club. When the ambulance service closed its doors in 1973, he took a position with the Grand Union Warehouse in Waterford working until it closed in 1995. He then joined Wackenhut Security where he held the position of N.Y.S. certified custom protection officer. In addition to this, he was supportive of his wife by helping her with her daycare business. Survivors include his wife, Renie Littlejohn Simmons; his children, John Simmons (Jean) of Altamont, Daniel Simmons (Colleen) of Watervliet, and Gerald R. Simmons Jr. (Natalie) of Brunswick; and his stepchildren, John LeMay (Elizabeth) of Doylestown, Pa., Ingrid LeMay of Warsaw, Edward LeMay (Corinne) of Brunswick and Angela Sfara (Louis) of Melrose. He was the brother of Judy Cramer of Saratoga Springs and proud grandfather of 19 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Several nieces and nephews also survive. Funeral services will be on Sunday at 5 p.m. in the Philip J. Brendese Funeral Home, 133 Broad St., Waterford. Relatives and friends may visit at the funeral home on Sunday prior to the service from 2-5 p.m. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to the Community Hospice, 295 Valley View Blvd., Rensselaer, NY, 12144. To express your sympathy or share a treasured memory, please visit Brendesefuneralhome.com