Betty SIMONSMA

SIMONSMA, Betty
An atheist, wife and mother who helped establish Sacramento's Atheist and Other Freethinkers, passed peacefully of natural causes on February 7, 2014. She was 88. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Merle E. Simonsma, a retired bridge engineer for the State Department of Transportation.

In her reserved but determined way, Mrs. Simonsma was proud of her non-belief in a culture suffused with belief in God. A 55-year resident of Sacramento, Mrs. Simonsma first became president of Atheist and Other Freethinkers in Sacramento in 1995 and continued to be active in the organization until the time of her death. Betty attended her first Atheist convention in 1975 and noted at that time that the organization was made up of mainly older, retired men. Over the years the increasing diversity of the members in Atheist organizations was a source of pride.

Mrs. Simonsma was born in Polk County, Nebraska to Myrtle and Hans Abraham Johansen on April 30, 1925, the seventh of eight children. She attended a one-room country elementary school and boarded in town with another family in order to attend high school. During World War II, Betty moved to Los Angeles and worked at Douglas Aircraft as a plaster pattern maker. While living in Los Angeles she also pursued her passion as a trapeze artist and appeared in the 1945 Fourth of July Rose Bowl Circus and Fireworks Show.

Betty and Merle raised five children, all of whom graduated from Elk Grove High School. As the children were growing up, Betty returned to school and earned a teaching credential from California State University, Sacramento.

As a wife and mother, Mrs. Simonsma understood and valued the work of making a home. She was a talented seamstress, sewing, smocking and embroidering all the girls clothes; had an excellent eye for interior design and painted, sanded, stained and wallpapered every room of the family home; and still had time to devote to her favorite pastime, china painting. In fact, photos of the home for the family of seven were featured in the April 15, 1966 Sacramento Bee, by long-time contributor, Helen Mahon.

She is survived by her husband, Merle; sons Tim (Barbara), and Neal; daughters Deborah Sprock (Gary), Merle Simonsma-Sasaki, and Claudia Fletcher (Terry); nine grand children and five great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Akira Sasaki. No services will be held.