Lena Allard SIMMONS

SIMMONS, Lena Allard



Delivered by the sure hands of her father Edouard Allard and nestled into the embrace of her mother Leodina Marier Allard, while her brother "Stumpy" ran for the doctor, Lena Louise Allard Simmons arrived to bring her unique light to this earth. Born August 29, 1919 in Stafford Springs, CT, Lena entered a world that had been ravaged by war and would be devastated by a Depression; the Allards endured times of unimaginable hardship, misfortune and adversity, but they persevered, defining the very word "Family." Tenth of eleven children of the star-crossed couple from Drummondville Canada, the college design grad and the mill worker/farmer, Lena reunites her entire Allard family. Together forever are Lena, Father Francis Allard M.S., Maria Allard, Albert "Stumpy" Allard, Cecilia Allard Trinks, Joseph Allard, Marguerite Allard Lentocha, Rosanna Allard Della Bella, Napoleon Allard, soul sister Anne Allard Kellner, John Allard, and parents Leodina and Edouard. A 1937 Rockville High School graduate, Lena found work at the Phoenix and later returned to the insurance industry to work for CIGNA for over 25 years. She married a handsome student athlete, Joseph A. Simmons of Windsor, CT in 1942, and they enjoyed almost fifty years together before his death in 1991. She was a communicant of St. James Church since 1950 and served in various organizations including the Ladies of St. James, the Daughters of Isabella and the prayer line. Community involvement covered Manchester Women's Club, Auxiliaries of St. Francis and Manchester Hospitals, MACC clothing bank and work at voting polls. Lena slipped quickly and quietly home to the angels at her daughter's Vernon residence on September 11, 2013. Surviving and beloved by Lena are her daughter Mary Anne Simmons of Vernon, her son Joseph A. Simmons Jr. and wife Beverly of Hebron, Grandson Daniel A. Simmons, wife Rhiannon and their daughter, Lena's great-granddaughter, Eleanor of Dorchester, MA and grandson Thomas A. Simmons of Cromwell. She leaves her sisters-in-law Dora Wylie of Rolla, MO, her supporting cheerleader, and Irene Simmons of Newington, and many, many nieces, nephews and cousins. Lena bids farewell and thank you to her Manchester neighborhood of 61 years and her marvelous and generous neighbors. Missed will be her Sunny Side Up Crew, where she loved being known as "Mama" and treasured some very special friends. Lena loved and was loved; she lived and she laughed; and she traveled the realms of the world. She adored "Ave Maria" and "Be Not Afraid" and with minimal prompting, would entertain young and old alike with "Barnacle Bill the Sailor" and other tunes. She was known as a bit of a prankster with a keen sense of humor. When it could be thought her light has been extinguished, instead it radiates in the glow of a candle, the glitter of starlight, the sparkle in a child's eye, or the glint of the light on the waves of the seas that surround the globe.
In lieu of flowers, Lena has requested prayers be said for her, and the family asks that everyone who loved her to perform an act of random kindness in her memory. The family deeply thanks VITAS Innovative Hospice Care and its family of dedicated doctors, nurses and aides.
Funeral service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14th at 9:30 a.m. from John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 West Center St., Manchester, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. James Church, 896 Main St., Manchester, followed by burial in St. James Cemetery. Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Saturday from 8-9:30 a.m. For online condolences please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com.