Robin Simmons, 61, of Sevierville/Wears Valley, Tennessee, passed away from natural causes in her home on July 27, 2019. The past few years have brought on many medical problems but Robin was a very private person and would not talk about them; to respect her wishes, we will also keep that privacy intact.

Robin was born on Jan. 16, 1958, in Minot, North Dakota, but lived most of her life in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Her family includes her mother, Marjorie Beeson Lemery (deceased), and her father, Harold R. Beeson; five siblings, Rachel McQuade, Snookie Winborne, Lori Thames, Lyn Foster and William Beeson; three children, Amy King, Anthony Nations and Ronnie Pickering; two stepchildren, Dana DeCosta-Peiler and Brent Simmons, and eight grandchildren. Robin is also survived by her husband, Rondal Simmons, whom she happily married on March 11, 2012, in Brandon, Mississippi.

Robin worked for the Mississippi school system for 25 years, retiring in the summer of 2013. After retiring, she and Rondal moved to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. She was an avid outdoor person and enjoyed hiking and backpacking. Prior to her and Rondal getting married they hiked 40-plus miles of the Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountain National Park (and still got married!). Robin also enjoyed motorcycle riding, bass fishing, swimming, boating and running. She really enjoyed cooking and entertaining family and friends. She was an accomplished fourth-degree black belt in Isshinryu Karate and ran her own dojo in Brookhaven, Mississippi, for nine years.

A memorial service will be held at Riverwood Family Funeral Services in Brookhaven, Mississippi, on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. Visitation hours will be from 4 until 6 p.m. with a service held in the funeral home chapel at 6 p.m. The eulogy will be performed by Bro. Rodney Jones, her pastor from Oakdale Baptist Church in Brandon, Mississippi.

Robin and Rondal recently joined the Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, Tennessee, as volunteers. Robin enjoyed riding the back roads and loved seeing bears in the wild. Rondal respectfully asks that in lieu of flowers, please honor her memory by donating to this cause at www.appalachianbearrescue.org.