Howard Joseph "Joe" Simonis

Howard Joseph "Joe" Simonis, beloved husband, father, Papa, son, brother and friend, passed away on August 7, 2025, at the age of 86 due to complications of aging. He was born on April 4, 1939, in La Grande, Oregon to Perry and Mae Simonis. He was the first baby boy born in St. Joseph's Hospital, so his parents used Joseph in his name. He was number 5 of 6 boys and was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
He was raised on a farm in the La Grande, Oregon area and learned the meaning of hard work early on as he and his brothers had many daily chores. He also learned to drive at the age of 8. He would sit on the floor of the car and control the pedals while his older brother Wayne would steer and shift. He also had an interest in cooking and baking and was taught many recipes by his mom.
Unfortunately, when he was about 13, he became quite ill and had to miss an entire year of school. The doctors were never sure exactly what he had, but it stunted his growth at 5' 9".
He loved sports and due to his athleticism, he made the varsity football team as a freshman in high school. During a game, he was tackled hard by two very large defensive players resulting in broken ribs. Some of his ribs almost pierced his heart, so the doctor strongly advised him not to play football again.
He was a teen in the 1950's and immersed himself in the 50's culture. He even picked up a little piano playing. He had several encounters with a girl named Sandra, and he thought she was such a spoiled girly girl. To the surprise of many, they became engaged in 1958. He was 19 and worked for the Forest Service in the lookout towers and was almost late for his own wedding due to a fire.
A few years later Joe enlisted in the Navy and was soon stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. About a year later, Sandra and their young daughter, Kathleen, joined him. Soon after, he had one of his greatest honors-he was one of a few chosen to be an honor guard for President John F. Kennedy during a visit to Hawaii.
Joe also "rode out" a typhoon aboard the USS Isle Royal and was quite surprised how many of the ranking officers and most of the men on the ship were extremely seasick. He and a few others who were not sick had to "multi-task" to the extreme.
Joe and his little family soon moved back to the mainland, and four months later a second daughter, Rebecca, was born. Almost 4 years later, a son, David, joined the family. Joe also had a new job working in a deli at a large grocery store and soon was promoted to manager of the deli. A man approached him and asked him if he would be willing to try to sell a new cheese item. He reluctantly took the risk and was the first grocer in So. CA to introduce string cheese.
Eventually Joe and his family moved back to La Grande and he started to work for UPS. After a few years in La Grande, he was offered a UPS job transfer to Enterprise, Oregon, and so the family moved. Joe would literally drive two or even three hundred miles daily delivering all over the rural, forested area. He loved the people in Enterprise, Joseph, Imnaha, Flora, Troy, Oregon areas. Most were very kind and helpful. During his 19 years with UPS, he had many memorable adventures. He would always say he should write a book about the many experiences of being a delivery driver, but probably most people would never believe them. He would also get so many treats during the Christmas season that Sandra never had to bake!
Joe retired early due to heart issues, moved to Montana 29 years ago-his dream-and then served a temple mission with Sandra in the Spokane, Washington LDS temple. They also traveled to New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina, helped feed thousands of people for about 6 weeks, and fed firefighters on several fires alongside his nephew Ron and wife Cindy, and their family throughout the years. He also cooked in the National Guard Reserve.
He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He loved the outdoors and even enjoyed finding and cutting wood. He anticipated finding the best areas for huckleberries or mushrooms. Even out in the woods his competitive side would kick in. He also had a quick wit and loved to tell stories of the past.

Joe fiercely loved his family, friends, faith, hunting, fishing, baking cookies and crescent rolls, making BBQ spareribs, eating pies outdoors, watching westerns, football, old Hollywood musicals, gardening and hard work. He was also extremely stubborn, which sometimes got him into trouble. That stubborn "gene" has also traveled down to his kids and most of his grandchildren.

Joe survives by his three children, Kathleen (Rick), Rebecca (Robert), and David (Karen), 8 grandchildren, Christina, Brandon, Jonathon, Bradley, Andrew, Daniel, Mike, and Jake, 15 great-grandchildren, and numerous cousins, sister-in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Sandra, (in Feb. 2025), his parents and all 5 of his brothers.

A Celebration of Life will be announced later. Arrangements are under the care of Schnackenberg Funeral Home of Libby, Montana. Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.