Joseph Edgar Simon

“Be still, my soul! The hour is hast'ning on, when we shall be forever with the Lord. When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still my soul! When change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.”

Joseph Edgar Simon was welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus as he passed peacefully at home from this world into his eternal reward surrounded by his family Tuesday, April 7, 2025. A longtime resident of Baton Rouge for 54 years, Mr. Simon was 85, born in Lafayette, LA on February 4, 1940.

Arrangements made by Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge for Thursday, April 17th. Visitation for family 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; friends from 10:00 a.m. until the service begins at noon. Interment will be 2:00 p.m. at The Louisiana National Cemetery, 303 W. Mount Pleasant Road, Zachary, LA. Known to his friends and family as Joe, he was the third child of four siblings, two older sisters and one younger brother. He is preceded in death by his wife Nita Simon, parents Joseph and Enola Simon, brother–in-laws Victor Delcambre, Carrol Claus, nephews Ronald Tate and Christopher Tate.

Joe is survived by his twin sons, Joseph Simon, James and Kathy Simon; granddaughters Kathryn Simon, Kristina and Gabriel Saavedra; sister Lynn Claus, Pearl Delcambre, Gaylord and Patsy Simon and many wonderful nieces and nephews. Joe was a graduate of Lafayette High School in 1958. After graduation he answered the call to serve his country and enlisted in the Air Force. With unwavering dedication, he faithfully served till an honorable medical discharge shortened his military career in 1963, reaching the honorable rank of Airman Second Class stationed in Reykjavik Iceland. Joe developed a passion for photography while in the military and continued using these skills with the FBI in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Joe continued federal service as a USPS carrier 15 years till early retirement in 1997. Not wanting to keep still, Joe served his longest occupation with Enterprise as he joined a fun rank of retirees driving the Louisiana roads acting like “older” teenagers transporting cars, stopping for lunches and telling Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes. He loved his Enterprise colleagues and they returned that love and respect in kind. Having returned to Lafayette from the Air Force in 1964, Joe was attending a girls softball game and a young boisterous mouthed player named Juanita Hopkins caught his eye. Details are sketchy at best if it was the loud mouth of this athlete, her beauty or both, but Nita, as he affectionately called her would later become his future wife. Joe and Nita’s courtship lasted a few years as Joe was working as a photographer in New Orleans. Every two- or three-weeks Joe would travel to Lafayette visiting Nita. The happy couple were married Saturday, April 23rd 1966 at St. Genevieve Catholic Church of Lafayette. Joseph moved his new bride to the big city of New Orleans in the Fairgrounds area. A year later the happy couple welcomed the birth of handsome, huggable, identical twin boys, James and Joseph. During their seven years in New Orleans, Joseph and Nita participated in many bowling tournaments with neighborhood friends and work associates along with weekend crawfish and shrimp boils. The happy couple with twins slept through category five Hurricane Camile as it took a right turn a half hour to midnight into the Mississippi gulf coast. A short stint in the area of Marrero was their first house purchase, but when the twins were finishing up Kindergarten, Joseph accepted a photographer position with the Baton Rouge FBI office where all the Simon's would begin their journey of becoming lifelong LSU Tiger fans. Saturday nights were a blast in Tiger Stadium with Joe's work associates. Tailgating before and after the games was a special time spent with their friends. Joe was the ultimate LSU Tiger Fan! Family vacations were spent with friends and relatives in Slidell, Lafayette, New Iberia, Holly Beach, and Colfax Louisiana along with Marshall and Elysian Fields Texas. Lots of food, fellowship, fun and laughter encompassed their weekends and summers.

Before marrying Nita Hopkins of Marshall Texas, he should have asked if she had “other” talents besides loud talking, softball and bowling. Once married, Joe would learn this talent his wife lay dormant during the courtship phase. Nita was a skilled artisan of moving furniture. Joe didn’t know what the new home design would look like once he returned home from work each day.

Joe enjoyed old and traditional country music and Cajun. The only new country music he relished was his nephew, Hunter Hayes.

Pallbearers are nephews Steve Woodley, Wayne Woodley, Damon Hopkins, Tommy Hall, Keith and Scott Claus, Jessie Delcambre and his favorite brother-in-law Elray DuBois. Honorary pallbearers are longtime best friend Richard Jones, friend and neighbor Roland Sanchez and Enterprise driving buddy Bill Scott. In lieu of flowers, the family requests grateful donations be made in his honor to Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital.