Carroll Kenneth Simkins of Surprise, AZ, was born March 29, 1930 to Jesse and Lucille Simkins (nee Sheldon) in rural Burke, South Dakota. He died Nov. 3, 2019, at Surprise Memory Care, Surprise AZ.
Carroll graduated in 1948 from Winner High School, Winner, SD. He joined the National Guard which was activated in 1950 for the Korean War. He spent one year of training in Colorado Springs, CO, and one year of service in Alaska. After his return home to Clearfield, SD, he met Shirley Miller and they married on May 25, 1955, in Winner, SD. They then moved to Indiana, where Carroll received a degree in Electronic Engineering from the Indiana Institute of Technology.
After graduating from IIT, Carroll worked for Douglas Aircraft in Sacramento, CA; Martin in Denver, CO; and American Bosch Arma in Salina, KS. He moved to Santa Maria, CA in 1965 to work for the Boeing Company at Vandenberg Air Force Base and in the field for Boeing in Ogden, UT, and Cheyenne, WY. Carroll retired from Boeing in 1992, after working for them for 27 years.
In 1996, Carroll and Shirley moved to Glendale, AZ and later to Surprise, AZ to be near family. Carroll enjoyed playing golf, and spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Carroll also loved to work on his farm, which is near Clearfield, SD.
Carroll is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley; three daughters, Jolene Loving Semtner of Carmel, CA; Vicki Rios and her husband Rafael of Glendale, AZ; Errin Simkins and her husband Brian Kato of Huntington Beach, CA; three granddaughters, Carmen Rios Drury and her husband Adam Drury; Cristina Rios Cotton and her husband Dino Cotton; Cassandra Rios; four grandsons, Rafael Rios, and his fiancé Jessica Ratliff; Dylan, Kelsey, and Sean Kato; seven great granddaughters Rosalie Love; Brookelyn, Piper and Annabelle Cotton; Adrina and Arilyn Drury; Gabriella Bando: and one great grandson, Ronin Cotton. He is also survived by his brother, Vaughn, in Mountain Home, Ark. and his extended family of cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Donald and Vernon; and one granddaughter, Deanna Loving Matsuura.
No services are planned at this time. Please join Carroll’s family in sharing memories, pictures or videos on his tribute wall at www.caminodelsol.com.
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