Doyle Lee Simmons

Dr Doyle Lee Simmons, 83, passed into Glory on 2/17/18. Born October 8, 1934 to Harry Doyle Simmons & Lelia Margaret Smith Simmons in Memphis TX, he grew up in Levelland & Olton TX, and in Albuquerque NM. He graduated from Highland High School in Albuquerque in 1952, some 3 years after the death of his father. & moved to Lubbock TX with his mother & 8 y/o brother Smitty. He studied Chemical Engineering at Texas Technological College for 2 1/2 years before changing his major to pre-med. On August 31, 1954 he married, Carole Dean Roberson, a pre-medical student, when they were 19. Both entered Southwestern Medical School of the University of Texas in September, 1956, & he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in May, 1960. Carole graduated in 1961 after the birth of their son Kevin on 2/06/60. After Doyle's General Rotating Internship at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth TX in 1961, they moved to New Orleans LA where he served a year on staff at the US Public Health Service Marine Hospital during Carole's Internship there. The following year he served at the USPHS Indian Hospital in Lawton OK, & while there, their second son David was born on 2/26/1963. In 1963-1964 they shared a joint medical practice in Eden TX at the Eden General Hospital & Clinic before entering residences in General Radiology in Houston TX at Baylor University College of Medicine & Associated Hospitals. In 1967 they completed training in Radiologic Pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington DC before returning to Houston for completion of their 1 year General Radiology Fellowships. Doyle was certified by the American Board of Radiology in 1968.

They moved in 1968 to Albuquerque NM where he practiced Radiology with an emphasis on Radiation Therapy for 12 years at St Joseph Hospital. While there he ran a Hospice Ward in the hospital & was chosen as Chief of Staff. Wayne Sommers served as his faithful Therapy Technician during those years, and is to speak at Doyle's Memorial Celebration in Windsor CO on 3/17/18. A friend, Glenna, tells of meeting him in 1975, on the occasion of caring for her mother-in-law who had terminal brain cancer. She had not yet met the Lord & did not know Doyle was comforting her with the comfort that only God can give. As the radiation therapist, it fell to him to tell her that her mother-in-law's days were limited with really no hope of any kind of treatment being effective. "I will never forget his kindness and compassion as he gave me the news I didn't expect or want to hear. 'I'm so sorry,' he said. 'I wish this could be different and that there was something I could do to change things'. It wasn't so much the words he said as it was the sorrow he obviously felt because he couldn't make her better or give her a longer life. As I look back on that sad day, I would say now that Doyle was being the hands and feet of Jesus to me. I thank God for allowing me to experience His love and comfort through Doyle."

Our third son Daniel was born at St Joseph on 8/19/1970. Later Doyle had a mountain cabin built in the Taos Ski Valley, to which special friends Charlie & Beverly, Dale & Brenda, George & Juanita and others were invited. Brenda remembers roasting a goat on coals in a fire pit on a weekend there. Beverly writes, 'We have such wonderful memories of the good times we had with you. How much fun you two were!" Rosalie writes, "From the first time Don and I met Doyle, we could see and hear of his constant performance of his faith in Christ toward those around him, many times in need. His compassion was great, along with a wonderful sense of humor!" Doyle often invited the youth from our church for weekend retreats in summer or winter, up to 35 at a time. On one occasion a high school senior who was proud of his exercise and physique was bragging about how many push-ups he could do, & Doyle said, "I can do one more than you!" He took the challenge, & huffing & puffing, did 50, after which Doyle did one! It was one more than the student had done, and he was so chagrined! Friend Bonnie remembers her joy of watching Doyle and Carole be so excited over the 25th anniversary celebration they held for us in Don & Rosalie's home. "I still don't know who was more thrilled...you or Doyle...but celebrate we did, God's Joy and His gift of 25 years!!"

About 1978, Doyle was ordained as a deacon at Del Norte Baptist Church. For a year or so during those years, David's friend Kevin stayed in our home. To keep them straight Doyle ranked them by age and called our Kevin 'Dummy 1', David 'Dummy 2', and his friend Kevin 'Dummy 3'. This became important when friend Kevin called from school asking for a ride home. Carole was hesitant when he said, "This is Kevin," so he said, "You know, Dummy 3!" Doyle often took the boys & their friends back packing, & on one occasion the horse they hired to pack their food & luggage in ran away in the night. The next morning Kevin's friend Stefan said "If a horse can carry a saddle, so can I. Strap it on!" After a few steps he changed his mind, & all took turns carrying the saddle down the mountain trail to the horse's owner.
After moving to Birmingham AL in 1981, we met Crawford & Marlene at our church, who became longtime friends and the financial counselor for the funds invested with him when the Dow stood at 800. Needless to say his management of the funds ever since has been most rewarding financially, and their personal friendship a treasure. Doyle completed a Radiation Oncology Residency at the University of Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis and was certified by the American Board of Radiation Oncology in 1984.

After practicing Radiation Oncology a few months in Crown Point IN, he became the Radiation Oncologist for Bannock Regional Medical Center in Pocatello ID for 4 years, & was again chosen as the Hospital's Chief of Staff. Pastor Luman Gilman remembers "happy days, with Travis & Betty, riding snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park & getting snowed in for 5 days of fun, riding horses and packing in the mountains, camping & hunting elk. My outstanding memory involved Doyle as the radiation oncologist when my wife Jerry's Dad was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He made many visits to his home where a hospital bed was located. On the day he died, at the precise moment he stopped breathing, Doyle arrived on the front porch. God ministered to us through Doyle beyond just being there at the right time to pronounce him deceased. His very thoughtful compassionate presence brought more comfort that he could ever know." Betty also wrote of similar memories of good times with these friends, and of the joys and beauty we shared with her and Travis as we traveled the AlCan Hwy into Alaska pulling their 5th wheeler mobile home.

In 1988 Doyle & Carole moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in East Africa, where he served as Radiation Oncologist at Ocean Road Hospital, a government institution and the only Radiation Oncology facility in the nation, for 4 years. In 1989 he was privileged to start and teach a Bible Study Fellowship Class for men in Dar es Salaam at the same time Carole began & taught a BSF class for women. By God's grace, both classes continue under national leadership almost 30 years later! Rosemary Jensen, Executive Director of BSF and of Rafiki Foundation at that time, under whom we served, had this to say about Doyle: "Doyle Simmons is one of my heroes. He was one who studied and worked hard to become a fine oncologist. But his bravery became apparent when he gave his life to become a missionary doctor in Tanzania. The hospital in which he worked in Africa paid doctors $50 a month!...I must say that I cannot recall knowing a kinder, gentler, or more gracious man than Doyle Simmons. He will be missed here on earth, but he is receiving his reward in heaven with Christ who gave His life for Doyle."

Returning to the US in 1992, Doyle began a 5 year practice of Radiation Oncology at Scott and White Hospital inTemple TX with a staff appointment from the Texas A & M School of Medicine. At the completion of every treatment plan, he asked his patient if he could pray for them. Most said yes, and a few refused or said they did their own praying. If he forgot, he was faithfully reminded by his therapy nurse, Olga. He retired from his medical practice in 1997. He served as an elder in Temple Bible Church for some years, and Pastor Gary DeSalvo sent this: "My memories of Doyle are of a gentle, humble servant of God. When he served on our elder board, Doyle didn't have to weigh-in on everything, but when he spoke, we listened! Grateful for our dear brother!" Doyle met a young couple who were missionaries in Central Asia. Mark wrote, "As a new missionary family (with 4 kids) taking off for a Muslim country, we were invited for dinner by Doyle and Carole not long before departing for the mission field. Doyle presented us with an old-fashioned hand-crank ice cream freezer we carried with us, and it provided lots of delight for our children for years to come! A few years later they visited us, and knowing we had a long term commitment to the nation, they told us they wanted to raise finances for us to buy our own home. When they returned to the States, Doyle got busy raising funds & within a few months he sent word to us that he had the money ready. I feel pretty sure that he & Carole also dug deep into their own pockets. They also came a few years later, visiting us in the home we purchased & remodeled. To Doyle, Christian missions wasn't so much a 'task' Christians were to be busy with, but a great privilege, filled with purpose and meaning, to see Christ's kingdom expanding around the world. He knew that having a place of our own would release us to focus more fully on the work before us. The house was purchased in 1998 and we're still in that home. The ice cream freezer wore out long ago; our kids grew up and left. But out from this home we have an ever-growing ministry to Muslims and Muslim-background followers of Jesus in Central Asia. Over the years, we've had hundreds of prayer meetings and worship services in it. Some of them have been with Muslim believers fleeing as refugees from their homelands. House churches have started in this home and moved out into the nationals' homes. The walls of this house have far more fabulous stories to tell of God's growing kingdom that we could ever recount. Thank you, dear Doyle and Carole, for believing in us as we stepped out into some very uncertain waters 24 years ago. Doyle, we miss you! In those early days, we really needed people like you. You had eyes to see things that were not, as though they were! With your passing, Doyle, we are asking the Lord to raise up many, many more in your place who have your heart for Christ's kingdom to spread to people who are still waiting to hear."

While living in Temple, our son David supervised the building of a family mountain cabin in Crystal River Ranch, about 20 miles east of Enumclaw, WA. Visiting a church in Enumclaw, we met Don and Ida, with whom we have been dear friends more than 20 years. Don wrote how "Doyle, in his always gracious manner, like our LORD, was always ready to help someone in any way he could. Once he intervened on my behalf in a mediation with our pastor—an act not easily done but much appreciated. It is compassion with a risk—but always bears fruit and honor for our LORD in His great love. Glory to His name!" Ida wrote, "Only the LORD knows what a blessing from Him to have ones who could understand my struggle to adjust to being an 'ostomate,' and you 2 being doctors, His goodness to me. From the beginning of our friendship we were moved by your sweet, sweet love and grace to one another—a marriage made in Heaven, and we want to be copycats. I thing of Doyle's joy in sharing the love of Christ, especially in Nigeria and his desire to see them again. We miss him!"

Doyle served as Missions Director at TBC for several years before resigning in 2003, seeking the Lord's will about moving to Egbe, Nigeria to help a young physician couple with 5 children who were home-schooling, overworked and nearing burnout from their heavy load at Egbe Hospital, by grand-parenting their children and giving their parents moral and spiritual support and encouragement. From 2003-2005 he and Carole were appointed as short-term missionaries by SIM (Serving in Mission) in Egbe, but by the time they reached the field, the young family had returned to the States. During those 2 years, they lived on the Egbe Hospital compound while reaching out to the local sub-Saharan Fulani people (largest unreached nomadic people group in the world, more than half living in Nigeria), in love and friendship. With the assistance of 3 young Christian Fulani translators, they prayed for them when ill or hospitalized, welcomed them into our home, transported them when seen along the highway awaiting public transportation, and visited them in their camps in 'the bush' where we showed them The Jesus Film in their language in the camps after dark & stayed in their huts overnight. Each of these translators now serves among their people in the area of their giftedness, through evangelism, discipleship and medical missions. Pastor Babangida has done evangelism and discipleship in Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger & is now in Seminary preparing to serve his people with more depth and knowledge. He said he first became aware of God's purpose for his life through Doyle's teaching "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren, and has embraced that purpose with great passion and effectiveness. Carole's translator Blessing feels we became her spiritual 'parents', loving & discipling her & enabling her to complete secondary school while in Egbe and later to complete seminary training. She married Pastor Sunday and they have an effective on-going Fulani discipleship ministry in far western Okuta in Nigeria. Abraham, trained as a Junior Public Health Officer, says his whole viewpoint about serving his Fulani tribespeople was changed by the 1 1/2 years he translated for us in Egbe and in about 10 outlying Fulani camps. He studied laboratory sciences for 2 years, then gained experience and expertise in surgery at a hospital in Abuja for 2 years, and now operates 2 hospitals caring for Fulani in Okuta and a nearby village, as an opportunity to present the gospel to his patients.

While in Egbe, Doyle experienced difficulty in remembering the names of the Fulani men he visited in their camps, and on returning to the States after the death of his Mother in 2005, he was diagnosed with a dementia of the Alzheimer's type. We moved into Kevin's home in Colorado in 2006 and were attending a church which had an Angel Tree for needy families at Christmastime. In what was our first and last time to do so, we decided to adopt a family, so we met Jeff and Alicia & had the joy of meeting some basic needs for their home and kitchen. They attended a church in Loveland but had no way to travel to it, so Doyle drove them week by week for several weeks, and we became good friends. When Kevin opened a new business and needed local workers, we recommended Jeff & Alicia, who became long-term employees and Jeff now is the production manager in the company. He is to speak at Doyle's Memorial Celebration as well. We moved to Loveland 3 years later to share a duplex owned by Michael and Sharon, whom we had met in Nairobi, Kenya in 1989 when we were in East Africa with BSF and Rafiki. Michael wrote, "Doyle's generosity could be seen in many aspects of his life. One example was his generosity toward my wife and myself several years ago when he and Carole came to share a duplex with us in Loveland. When we asked if they would like to live next door, we asked for what we considered to be a reasonable monthly rent. Doyle wasn't satisfied with what we were asking, so he went door to door in our neighborhood asking our neighbors what they were paying to their landlords each month. He decided that what we were asking was too low so he and Carole began paying us several hundred dollars more each month than we asked. I was probably the only landlord in the history of mankind whose renters set their own rent!"

Doyle's diagnosis was changed to Multi-System Atrophy after several years, and in December 2016 he was admitted to a memory care center. He declined rapidly in early 2017, and God gave each of his immediate family members a very special time with him in the 48 hours before he passed into the presence of his LORD on 2/17/2018.