John David Simmons Jr.

Beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, John David Simmons, Jr. was born on May 9th, 1936 in Atlanta, Georgia and went to his heavenly home on December 7th, 2019 after a long battle with cancer in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the first of three children to Lois and John David Simmons. He is survived by his loving, caring wife, Janice Birdyshaw Simmons, of six years (plus 37 years of dating), his two daughters, Deborah Tiffany Tanner and Leslie Diane King, his three sons, John Steven Simmons, Mark Spencer Simmons (wife, Katy), and Michael Andrew Simmons (husband, David), his precious, loving, and supportive sister, Eleanor Hardison (loving and servant-hearted husband, Joe), and adopted son, Johnny Weathers. He is greeted in heaven by his parents, sister, Judy Tompkins, and step-daughter, Tara Birdyshaw, in loving reunion. We also imagine the many furry friends (dogs) that he was able to see again, including Redford, Tevia, Spook, Jeep, Bitta, Flip, Sheba, and Penny.
David was a genuine friend and a man of many talents. One of the most favorite times of David's life was when he raced cars. His love for cars and racing even opened up opportunities for him to race at Daytona. He loved life, barbecue, Alabama football, and giving of himself to his family and through opportunities at church. Throughout the season, his faithful Alabama football group gathered to celebrate every touchdown together. David was extremely intelligent and could answer most Jeopardy questions before the contestant. His wit kept everyone laughing. David accepted everyone and never judged them. He is described lovingly as kindhearted, generous, and joyful.
David worked in Real Estate and formed the business, Condomart, which converted apartments into condominiums. This business started in Gulf Shores and eventually spread to include real estate in 8 different states. He also created CarMart which grew to involve over 120 lots of cars at the time.
David spent much time serving at Dawson Memorial Church where he taught the Singles Sunday School class, sang in the choir, and played euphonium in the orchestra. David's family appreciates Dawson's love, support and prayers through the years. David also attended Tarrant Rock United Methodist Church, where he was a soloist and member of the choir. How he loved and appreciated the dear friends there and the prayer groups that supported them through David's cancer journey. David had several amazing caretakers during the last 6 years such as Carolyn Jones, Genie Harris, Vernessa Wallace, and Lisa Oakman. The strong support of AlaCare and Lincare have also strengthened David through these past several years in countless ways. God blessed David and Jan with much support through tremendous medical care from his doctors for which their family will be grateful. David would often say he was a child of God and a man of God and he lived his life that way.
David was a loving family member, a faithful church member, and a wonderful gift to those who were blessed to call him a friend. He leaves our hearts ever changed by his fun-loving personality, his servant-hearted outlook on life, and his wonderful humor and wit that kept us laughing.