Richard Simmons

1932 - 2020

Richard Simmons
February 24, 1932 - December 8, 2020
Washington, DC - The morning of Tuesday, December 8, 2020 Reverend Richard (Dick) Jay Simmons, peacefully passed and went to meet our Heavenly Father at the well lived age of 88.
Dick was born February 24, 1932 in Portland, OR to Justin Clifford and Calverna Simmons. He was an avid swimmer competing in high school for championships and the Olympics and later becoming a lifeguard which was very fitting and lead into his attending the UW and later the San Francisco Theological Seminary graduating June of 1956. On June 23, 1956, he married the love of his life, Barbara Belle Dorsey in Seattle, WA and headed to Tucson, AZ to be an assistant minister of his first church. Barb and Dick were married 57 years, spending a large portion of that time in Seattle and Bellingham, WA, and Washington DC since 1994 until Barb took her final journey home on April 21, 2013. They raised 4 children together.
All who knew him knew he had an amazing passion for God and fought his entire life to help men create that same passion in their hearts for God and their families and become warriors in prayer. His ministries started to really take off in Brooklyn, NY where he joined forces with Pat Robertson and later David Wilkerson ministering to young gang members. It was at a manse house in Bedfort Stuyvesant New York where Pat and Dede Robertson received their vision to purchase their first television station which later grew to be the Christian Broadcast Network. From there, he and Barb moved back to the state of Washington where they went into men's and women's prisons to minister to those who had no one and were open to reform. Their work in California with prison reform drew numerous corporate leaders into one on one ministry with individual prisoners dropping the recidivism rate dramatically. Dick received an award for his work in founding the Man-2-Man W-2 program. That award led to his appointment as a member of President Ronald Reagan's transition team. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. They received accolades from multiple Presidents, support from highly respected ministries, and devoted their entire life mission to God.
They also fought for education improvements for dyslexic students, they translated Bibles into other languages and were part of smuggling them into other countries, they were hijacked on a plane with DB Cooper, and later built the currently renowned ministry Men for Nations which aims to bring men together from all realms, especially political, to pray and build solid foundations for family and government. While in Washington, D.C. at 117 Second Street, NE across the street from the Supreme Court of the United States they inspired or led many national and international prayer initiatives. Major events in that city sought their prayer leadership including Washington For Jesus in 1996; Promise Keeper's Stand in the Gap service on the Mall in 1997, which saw almost 2 million men repenting for abortion; The Call DC in 2000 which drew 500,000 young people; and, most recently, The Return, a worldwide service of repentance bringing 250,000 to the DC Mall broadcast in a live stream to 48 million in the U.S. and translated for transmission to 190 nations. Men for Nations also was the inspiration for legal initiatives which affected proceedings before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Congress, as well as many meetings of the United Nations in various capitols around the world.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents; two siblings, Beverly and Donny Simmons; his wife, Barbara Belle; two sons, Paul David and John (Johnny) Mark Simmons; and a granddaughter, Amy Renee Smith. He is survived by two daughters, Mary Elizabeth and Priscilla Anne Simmons; eight grandchildren, Shasta Bree Simmons, Jamie Lorraine (and Daniel Josef) Judkins, Jasmine Elizabeth Greene, Justin LeRoy Smith, Cali Testerman, Keith (and Bailey Anne) Testerman, Michael Frenier, and Hannah Joy Armerding; and five great granddaughters, Madison Renee (21) and Victoria Lorraine (17) Judkins, Evelyn Anne (3) and Audrey Ellen (1) Testerman, and Violette Skye (expected birth January 2021).
A virtual memorial will be held at a later date with details posted to Men4Nations.com. He will be brought to rest with his wife, Barbara Belle, in Bellingham, WA.
Tax deductible donations, if you are lead, can be submitted to "Men for Nations" at 4235 Hillsboro Pike, Ste 300, Nashville, TN 37215 ATTN T. Smith or at www.men4nations.com.