LAURA SIMON

LAURA SIMON, Widow of Lt. Col. James S. Simon, Jr.
7-3-2006

The Roadrunners of Groom Lake lost another of its extended family members with the passing of Laura May Simon, 81, a homemaker of Las Vegas. Many of us Roadrunners remember that night in September 1967 when Dick and Dot Roussell rushed to the Simon residence to be with Laura when the Chaplin from Nellis AFB arrived to inform her that her husband, Lt. Col. James S. Simon, Jr. had been killed while flying chase during a night sortie of the A-12 at Area 51. As the A-12 approached the south end of the runway Simon's F-101B struck the ground and exploded near the South Trim Pad on Groom Lake. Like many of the Roadrunner families, Laura remained in Las Vegas until her passing this month. Laura is survived by her sons, Gregory and Scott, both of Las Vegas, and James of West Virginia. Memorial service will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, July 8 at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Donnie Ave. Our condolences and prayers are extended to the Simon family.