David "Gumps" Earl Simm

He is survived by his wife Sandra (Sandy) of 47 years; three children and their spouses Trevor & Leanne Simm of Crownsville MD, Kerry & Wade Lingenfelter of Annapolis MD and Graham & Caroline Simm of Severna Park MD. His grandsons Warrick, Reed, Beckett, Ethan, Grant and Owen Simm; his aunt Sheila Brown Lindveit of Washington DC. He was a favorite brother-in-law to Dr. James and Mrs. Wendy Ryan of Canberra and Jill Dougherty of Miami in Australia.

“Gumps” as his family so fondly called him was born March 30, 1950 in Glen Cove NY, to Robert H. Simm and Judith Lindveit. He attended North Shore High School where he sang with the Hoarse Norseman. He then attended Drexel College, New York Tech and he received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Maryland.

He enlisted in the US Army in 1970 and was with the US Army Security Agency and assigned to Sinop, Turkey. His travel orders in April 1971 had him depart New York’s Kennedy airport where, on the same flight, he met Sandy. They were married in Raleigh NC in June 1972. He was honorably discharged in July 1974 from Fort Meade Maryland and they settled down in Severna Park and Millersville.

David was an Electrical Engineer in the Aerospace industry working on multiple contracts with companies associated with NASA and Goddard Spaceflight Center, as a Spacecraft Power Systems Engineer, specializing in high energy/power battery systems. He started his own firm “Simm Associates” in 1993. He testified as an “expert witness” on batteries. He was published in Kirby W. Beard’s Fifth Edition of “Linden’s Handbook of Batteries”.

David loved to sing and studied the piano as well as the organ. He sang growing up in his church choir in NY and then joined the choir at Our Lady of the Fields in Millersville MD. He sang with a capella group, the Bach Meistersingers for Easter and Christmas concerts at St. Anne’s Church in Annapolis, and occasionally combined concerts with the Annapolis Chorale. He took bugle lessons with the hope of playing “Taps” for veteran funerals.

He travelled to Australia in 1973 to meet his wife’s family and to Norway in 1988 to meet his mother’s family. He and his wife sponsored midshipmen and he was appointed Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist for three years at the USNA. His love of ancient history and religion had him travel with a group form the USNA to the Holy Land in 1993.

There was nothing that David couldn’t do in car repair, house maintenance or construction. He added a bubbler systems to his community pier for his sailboat in Hollywood on the Severn, undertook the construction of the Shipley’s Choice Club House as President of the Swim & Tennis Club. He added major additions on both their houses Including reinforcing the kitchen floor so that the Cast & Crew of the Rock & Roll Revival could have the after party there. He was active in the Boy Scouts in Troops in Shipley’s Choice and St. John’s while his son was in Scouts. He taught CCD on occasion at Our Lady of the Fields. He was a great booster parent for the Lacrosse team at Catholic University for 4 years. His biggest and most fulfilling project was a mountain home he built with the help of his wife and son Graham who was studying architecture at Catholic University. David had studied Architecture briefly and “Camp David” in River Ridge, Great Cacapon WV is where he felt most at peace.

David was a good, quiet, unassuming man with a kind face, beautiful smile and great laugh and always content being in the background. He was so proud of his three children and their careers. Architect, Lawyer and Business Owner and the arrival of six grandsons was pure joy. He had nicknames for all of them. His face would light up whenever they visited. Anyone who knew David would know he was just a “good and generous soul” and we will all miss him hiding in the background of our lives, loving, supportive and content with us all.

David loved his place here surrounded by his family and he did “not go gentle into that good night”. He fought and raged “against the dying of the light” with his wife by his side.

David will be buried in a private ceremony at Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville. A Requiem Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Church 109 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis MD 21401 at 10:30 am., on Saturday 22nd of February, 2020

In lieu of flowers contributions may be given “in Memoriam-David E. Simm” to MPT, 11767 Owings Mills Blvd., Owings Mills MD 21117. An online guest book is available at www.johnmtaylorfuneralhome.com