Frederick J. Simmons

Frederick Joseph Simmons, Eau Claire, WI, passed away January 19, 2025 at Dove Health Care-West after being diagnosed with prostate cancer six years earlier. To all who knew him, Fred was quiet, calm and intelligent.

Fred was born in Chicago on October 30, 1941 to Joseph (Szymankiewicz) Simmons and Helen (Pachnowski) Simmons and was baptized on December 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor Day. The family moved to Villa Park when Fred was an elementary student. He graduated from York High School and began college studies while working. He received his BS in 1966 and his MS in 1972, in Electrical Engineering from Cal State - Long Beach.

His career includes Rockwell International, Anaheim, CA; Floating Point Systems, Tektronix, and Saturn Computers, Portland, OR; Cray Research, Chippewa Falls, WI; one of the founders and hardware design leader at Super Computer Systems, Eau Claire; Microsoft, Redmond, WA; and finished his career again in Portland at IMS, Whitaker, Timpani and Octavian Scientific. He patented several of his hardware designs.

Fred married Joyce (Hynek Kreiner) at the Otter Creek Inn, Eau Claire, on November 24,1989. They met thanks to an ad that he placed in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram in 1985. They enjoyed similar interests: competitive trap shooting at the EC Gun Club, golf and traveling. They owned a home in Ajijic, MX for 13 years, and then moved their winter home to Oro Valley, AZ.

Fred began building and flying RC airplanes at age 9. As a member of radio control airplane clubs in the Chippewa Valley and in Oro Valley, he made many close friends. Until his final days he enjoyed talking with his buddies about RC projects.

He is survived by wife Joyce, step-son John Kreiner (Emily), grand-children Riley, Ben, and Avery; sister Darlene Vorisek, sister-in-law Sharon Jones (Terrance), three nephews, a niece, and cousins.

Fred chose to be cremated, and a celebration of his life is being planned in Eau Claire for late spring. Hulke Family Funeral Home will work with the family on details.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Fred's name to Mayo Clinic Cancer Research.

We thank Mayo Clinic Eau Claire and Rochester, U-A Tucson, and Dove-West for their kind and professional support.

A memorial service for Fred will take place on Thursday, July 17, 2025 at Hulke Family Funeral Home at 3 pm. A visitation will take place prior to the service from 2 pm until the time of service.

To share your memories and condolences, please visit online at www.hulkefamilyfh.com.

Hulke Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 3209 Rudolph Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701 is assisting the family with the arrangements.  

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