Marilyn Mildred-Alexandra Simmons' Obituary
Marilyn Mildred Alexandra Simmons, née Rudder was born on the 13th day of June 1955. A native of Georgetown, Guyana, she was the first of three daughters born to Winston and Doreen Rudder. Marilyn was known to her family as "June" and to her schoolmates as "Millie". As a young girl, Marilyn attended St. Ambrose Anglican (primary school) where she was the top student in her class. She was awarded a scholarship to Bishops High School in Georgetown, Guyana. After graduating, Marilyn attended the University of Guyana in Turkeyen. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Language with a concentration in Portuguese, French and Spanish. Upon graduating, Marilyn worked as a teacher for roughly one year. In 1977, Marilyn married Wesley Simmons and the couple soon moved to Tuskegee, Alabama. It was here that they began their lives together and connected with a close-knit Guyanese and West Indian community. While residing in Alabama, she and Wesley added three daughters to their family. In 1989, Marilyn and her family relocated and settled in Atlanta, GA. She was very versatile in her work life, excelling in positions from bookkeeping to retail merchandising. However, she most enjoyed working in the diverse and multicultural setting of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where she worked for Delta Global Staffing and Lufthansa Airlines. Marilyn loved the Lord with all her heart and was an active and faithful member of First Baptist Church Atlanta. Here she served in the International Ministry for some time. She was also heavily involved with Grace Community Church. It was through these churches that Marilyn continued to make lifelong friendships apart from her Guyanese community. On March 7th, 2017 while surrounded by family, Marilyn passed away peacefully after several months of illness. She is survived by her three daughters Afiya, Janelle and Sabrina; their father Wesley, grandsons Christian and Ethan, her mother Doreen, sisters Grace and Andrea as well as several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. She is resting in peace in the arms of the Holy Lord.
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