Obituary of Alice R. Simonson

Alice R. Simonson, 97 longtime resident of Oxford, died January 14, 2018, at Lantern Park Care Center in Coralville Iowa.

Funeral services will be held at 11am Saturday, January 20, 2018, at the Oxford United Methodist Church with burial to follow at the Oxford Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 9am Saturday until the services.  Memorial donations can be made in her memory to Care Initiatives Hospice.  To share a thought, memory or condolence with her family please go to the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com.

Alice Ruth Johnson was born August 15, 1920, at their family farm near Laurens in Pocahontas County, Iowa, the daughter of George “GWE” and Sylvia Ruth (Weeks) Johnson.  Following graduation from Laurens High School in 1937, she attended Ft. Dodge Beauty Academy, and then opened her own beauty shop in Laurens, beginning a career that spanned 76 years! Alice married Donald F. Cobbs in January 1942 and Don died in December of 1943. Alice then married Wendell Clarence Simonson on June 23, 1946.  Wendell was a State Conservation Officer, and his job brought them to Oxford in 1951.  Alice later opened what became “Alice’s  Beauty Shop” on Main Street in their home, a fixture in Oxford for over 60 years.  Men and women alike would have Alice not only take care of their hair, but this was the place where you could always catch up on the latest news, find a shoulder to lean on, and brag about your grandkids!  Alice’s family extended far more than just her biological family.  She was an active member of the Oxford United Methodist Church for over 60 years, a member of OES, and Isaac Walton League.

Her family includes her five children, Don “Brian” Simonson (Terrie), Clive, John Simonson (Linda), Parnell, Becky Burns (Patrick), Cedar Rapids, Barbara Jensen, Williamsburg, and Bob Simonson (Carol) of Anamosa. Grandchildren, Kimberlee, Clint, Natalie, Jeff, Adam, Charlie, Alec, Nick, Cory and Nathan. Great-grandchildren, Emily, Grace, Lydia, Gitzie, Brianna, Hunter, Wesley, Hannah, Trace, Kinsley, Breanna, Braden, Stevie and Kaylee. One brother Lowell Johnson (Jean) of Urbandale, brother-in-law Darlow Fuchs (Donna) Parker Colorado, Sisters-in- law, Mary Johnson, Winfield, Marilyn Johnson, Waverly, Janice Fuchs, Laurens and Betty Fuchs, Baxter, and many nieces and nephews.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents, 2 husbands, Sister Helen Chapman, Brothers Charles, Marvin and Wendell Johnson, and grandsons Ryan Burns and Christopher Grabin, a son in law Ken Jensen, and several brothers and sisters-in-law.

Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Alice’s family and her services.