It is with deep sorrow and much love that the Simmons family announces the passing of Al Simmons, 75, of Marathon, Florida. Simmons died unexpectedly on Sunday, Nov. 6, at the finish line of the IronMan competition in Panama City, Florida.
Born Oct. 25, 1947, in New Haven, Connecticut, Simmons was the son of Alvin and Lucile (McPherson) Simmons. Raised in Southington, Connecticut, Simmons received his mechanical engineering degree from the University of New Haven.
Simmons founded Mustang Motorcycle Products in Terryville, Connecticut, and built it into the largest aftermarket motorcycle seat manufacturing company in the world.
From an early age, Simmons lived life to the fullest in every sense. Starting as a young boy, his first and true love was aviation, and he earned his pilot’s license as a teenager. Over the next decades, he continued achieving by earning his instrument rating, his multi-engine rating for both land and sea, his seaplane rating for both single and multiengine, his glider rating, B-25 second in command rating, and he had recently begun helicopter lessons.
Al was highly intelligent and inquisitive, with insatiable curiosity; he never turned down a trip to a museum! With a passion for travel, Simmons was always excited to share pictures and talk about what he had learned on his latest adventures to more than 75 countries around the world.
He was indomitable, always demanding extraordinary physical discipline from himself. No challenge was too difficult for him to take on, and he enjoyed a variety of activities, including SCUBA diving, fishing, snowboarding and kiteboarding.
Starting with motorcycling events in his teens, he later competed and excelled in windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding, glider soaring, marathons and triathlons, ending at the finish line of the Panama City, Florida, IronMan on Nov. 6. Simmons left us the way he lived life: crossing the finish line.
Survivors include his wife, Susan; son, Mark Simmons of Pawcatuck, Connecticut and Palm Coast, Florida; daughter, Susan (Wayne) Kobrock of East Lyme, Connecticut; stepson, Emory (Shelly) Olzinski of Virginia Beach, Virginia; stepdaughter, Rachel (Shad) Tome of Tampa, Florida; grandchildren Emma, Ethan, Evelyn, Trevor, Toby, Eric and Katie; brother George (Kathleen) Simmons of Panama, Oklahoma; sister Marilyn Simmons of Bristol, Connecticut, and several cousins.
A celebration of Simmons’ extraordinary life will be held at a later date.
