Beverly Jean (Madory) Simonsen, age 86, of Sleepy Eye, died on January 31, 2023, at Good Samaritan Society-Sioux Falls Village Nursing Home in Sioux Falls, SD.
Visitation will be on Thursday, February 9, 2023, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Sturm Funeral Home, Sleepy Eye Chapel with Parish Prayers at 4:00 PM. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church in the North Entrance.
Mass of Christian burial will be on Friday, February 10, 2023, at 10:30 AM at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sleepy Eye. The clergy will be Father Mark Steffl. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/stmarysleepyeye/live.
Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye is handling the arrangements. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Sleepy Eye Historical Society or St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Beverly was born July 15, 1936, to Cornelius and Lois (McDonald) Madory in New Ulm’s Loretto Hospital. Her childhood was spent in Sleepy Eye, Edgemont SD, Roy UT and Ogden, UT. She graduated from Sleepy Eye High School in 1954 and St. Cloud School of Nursing in 1957 as a Registered Nurse. She married Donald Simonsen on January 14, 1958, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and made their home on their registered Holstein dairy farm in Eden Township, northwest of Sleepy Eye. Beverly worked at the Sleepy Eye Municipal Hospital until early 1967, then stayed home to raise their five children. She helped on the farm by driving tractor, doing the bookkeeping, cow records, and running for parts. When Don retired from the dairy and farming operation in 1990, they did some traveling and camping. Beverly renewed her nursing license and worked at the Fairfax Community Home, then later became Home Health Director at Countryview Estates in Fairfax, retiring in 2007 at the age of 70. Following Don’s death in 1997, she moved to her condo in Sleepy Eye, and son Dean moved onto the home farm.
Beverly enjoyed sewing, knitting, quilting, and playing cards, especially Bridge with her longtime Bridge Club for 60 years. She was an active volunteer while the kids were in school, 4-H and FFA. She managed the Brown County Fair 4-H Foodstand for many years. She and Don were charter members of the Sleepy Eye Community Band and later played with the New Ulm Municipal Band. She traveled with the New Ulm Band to Germany in 2000 and continued playing her flute at concerts through 2021. She also sang in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church choir years ago. For many years she enjoyed summer vacations and fishing with her family at the lake. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Sleepy Eye Women’s Club, Sleepy Eye Historical Society, and president of Steinhaus Condo Association.
She is survived by five children: Kaye (Dean) Compart of Nicollet, Anita Johnson of Sleepy Eye, Philip Simonsen of Springfield, VA, Dean (Rebecca) Simonsen of Sleepy Eye, and Leah (James) Grothe of Sioux Falls, SD; 15 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren; step-sister Pearl Schroepfer of Sleepy Eye, and half-brother Doug (Marlys) Grindall of International Falls. She was preceded in death by her husband Donald; parents Cornelius Madory and Lois Grindall; step-father Francis Grindall; and step-mother Verena Bruckbauer.
