Ted J. Simon

Ted J. Simon, 92, of Sarasota, FL (formerly of Bloomfield Hills, MI) passed away on May 23, 2023, just a few weeks after his family gathered for a memorial service for Mary Ann Simon, his wife of 70 years.

Ted was born on February 10, 1931, the son of the late Joseph and Rosa Simon. He grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, leaving at the age of 17 in the fall of 1948 to attend business school at the University of Michigan. The Wolverines would win the national football championship that year, and Ted became a lifelong fan.

Ted met Mary Ann while both were 19-year-old students in Ann Arbor. They were inseparable for the next 72 years, living in Ann Arbor and then suburban Detroit before retiring on Longboat Key surrounded by friends from Michigan. Ted was incredibly proud of his children, Mark (Susan), Julie Sherrard (Steve), and Scott (Laura), grandchildren Lauren (Mark), Dan (Sally), Abbey (Nim), Henry and Ben (fiancé Kyrani), and great grandchildren Theo, Jack, Desmond and Lucy. He is also survived by his sister Cecile Freeman (Jack) and in-laws Peter and Shelly Cooper.

Work was the other pillar of our dad's life, both a vocation and a passion. After college, he worked briefly at Plante Moran before starting out in the commercial real estate world as a young broker at Schostak Brothers—to which he would return as President 20 years later. He spent most of his career as a supermarket real estate executive, taking his kids to see potential sites for K-Mart food stores on family vacations, and serving as Senior Vice President of Real Estate for Allied Supermarkets, Chatham, Farmer Jack, and A&P. At 68 Ted "retired"—he started work a week later at Grand Sakwa Properties, developing and leasing shopping centers, while serving on the boards of Clarkston State Bank and Sun Communities.

Ted also enjoyed using his business acumen for his community, serving on the board of the Detroit Economic Development Corporation and assembling the land for the Boy Scouts' Lost Lake Scout Reservation.

While Ted was visiting Ketchum, Idaho to sell a grocery store, he became enamored of Sun Valley, and returned for numerous vacations, first with Mary Ann, and then with his entire family, gathering to hike, fly fish, golf, race leaves, and spend time together.

Ted and Mary Ann made a bounty of lifelong friends from the U of M and their early days in Detroit, and these friendships remained highly valued by Ted throughout his life.

A graveside service will be held at Palms Memorial Park in Sarasota at 11a.m. on Friday, June 9. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Ringling College of Art & Design or the charity of your choice.