Retired Covenant pastor Harold R. Simmons passed away on June 21, 2024, in Foley, Alabama. He was 81.
Harold Robert (Bob) Simmons was born on a mountaintop in Monterey, Tennessee, to Reverend Curtis and Martha Simmons. He moved frequently with his church-planting family, living in various southern towns, including Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Birmingham, Magnolia Springs, Foley, and Silverhill, Alabama. Bob attended Foley High School, where he played trombone, and later graduated from Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1961.
That fall, Bob attended Owasso Bible College for three years. During summers, he worked in his father’s construction business. In 1965, his family returned to Silverhill, and Bob began studying psychology at Yancey State Junior College, eventually transferring to the University of South Alabama.
In October 1968, Bob was drafted into military service during the Vietnam War. He served until September 1970, achieving the rank of E-5 Sergeant. Bob was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and earned expert status in rifle marksmanship.
After his military service, Bob returned to college, where he met Mary Emily Wilcox. They were engaged six months after meeting and married on May 6, 1972. Their 52-year marriage produced three children: Matthew, Timothy, and Benjamin.
Bob built a house for his bride in Silverhill before they moved to Chicago. There, Bob completed his degree in psychology and attended North Park Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity. He was ordained in 1979. Bob pastored in Chicago and Moline, Illinois, before returning to Alabama in 1983, where he served as a Covenant Church planter and later as pastor of Greenwood Covenant Church.
In 1988, Bob planted New Covenant Church in Foley and became a full-time chaplain at Holman Prison in Atmore. For nearly a decade, he ministered to inmates on Alabama’s death row. Bob left this role in 1997 but continued serving New Covenant until its merger with Greenwood Community Covenant Church in 2012, pastoring the merged church until his retirement in November 2022.
Pastor Bob’s life was marked by his deep faith, commitment to family, and compassion for his community. He touched countless lives through his ministry.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Reverend Curtis and Martha Simmons, and his sister, Myra Joy Mellberg (Ray). He is survived by his wife, Mary Wilcox Simmons; his sons, Matthew, Timothy (Veronica), and Benjamin (Anna); five grandchildren: Abby, Libby, Albert, Mary, and Gloria; his sister, Norma Ann Davis (Len); his brother, David Ledbetter Simmons (Annie); and many loving extended family members.
Funeral services were held at Silverhill Covenant Church on June 28, 2024. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Women’s Care Center of Robertsdale or Gideons International, both causes close to Bob’s heart.
Peace be to his memory.
