John Calhoun Simons, Jr.

John Calhoun Simons, Jr.

1/27/1938 – 7/29/2021

John Calhoun Simons, Jr. 83, went home to be with the Lord on July 29, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. John was born in Vidalia, Georgia on January 27, 1938 to John Calhoun Simons and Marion Sumner Simons. He is a 1956 graduate of Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville and attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.

He is survived by his high school sweetheart, a loving wife of 62 years, Elaine Williamson Simons, daughter Victoria Angela (Angie) Simons, son John Wesley (Wes) Simons, grandson Jacob Sebastian Simons, and sister Sherry Lynn Field - all reside in Jacksonville. John loved his family deeply.

John was a born again Christian who Loved Jesus and faithfully served The Lord. He had a quick wit, broad smile, and a contagious laugh. He was always a willing listener and had a knack for making people feel at ease, often interjecting a joke to lighten the mood. He was not only an avid reader but a master researcher of scriptures in the Bible. John enjoyed writing poems, positive thoughts, songs and all types of creative writing, particularly morally inspiring children’s stories.

John always had an entrepreneurial spirit, even as a young boy delivering newspapers on his bike before daylight and selling boiled peanuts on the street corner. He quickly discovered that with his people skills combined with a strong work ethic and his natural born sales talent, success was inevitable no matter where he was or what he was selling.

John was a well-known figure in the television industry with a successful 35-year career in television broadcast sales as General Sales Manager with WCTV Channel 6 (the CBS station affiliate in Tallahassee) and General Sales Manager with WJKS Channel 17 (the ABC station affiliate in Jacksonville). He was a nationally recognized and published broadcast sales trainer with a proven track record of mentoring high-performance sales representatives within the broadcast sales industry. After retirement, he was the founder and President of Simons Media Services, Inc, a national award winning full-service advertising marketing agency in Jacksonville.

He served 9 years in the Jacksonville Army National Guard and was active in many civic organizations including serving as the local President of Lions International in Valdosta, Georgia, Regional Vice President of the Valdosta Jaycees, a leader in Toastmasters International, served on the board for the American Cancer Society in Tallahassee and was President of the Jacksonville East Camp of The Gideons International. John served as an Usher and Deacon at First Baptist Church in Downtown Jacksonville.

The family will be receiving guests from 4:30 to 5:00 in the Lindsay Memorial Auditorium of First Baptist Church at 125 West Ashley Street, Jacksonville, Florida, on August 5, 2021. A memorial service will immediately follow the visitation at 5:00 PM. It is requested that donations for Gideon Bibles be given in lieu of flowers. Donations can be mailed to The Gideons International, PO Box 11901, Jacksonville, FL 32239.