Obituaries

Monica Simons, age 55 of Carroll, passed away early Thursday morning, July 5, 2012 at Regency Park Nursing Home in Carroll following a courageous battle with cancer.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 9, 2012 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Carroll. The Celebrant will be Fr. Timothy Johnson. Pianist will be Elise Pick. Lectors for the funeral mass will be Nicholas Halbur and Michael Mueller. Gift Bearers will be Kay Chambers, Susan Becker, Carolyn Ehlers and Rose Thomas. Eucharistic Ministers will be Denise Mueller and Mary Ann Borkowski. Casket Bearers will be: Brent Simons, Tyler Simons, Meghan Shelley, Michael Mueller, Dr. Jason Mueller, Nicholas Halbur and Amy Abraham. Monica’s Heartland AEA colleagues and the Pink Ribbon Ladies will form an honor guard for the funeral mass. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Carroll.
Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday where there will be a rosary at 3 p.m. and a Christian Wake Service by Holy Spirit Parish at 5 p.m. The casket will be moved to Holy Spirit Church at 9 a.m. on Monday where visitation will resume until time of the funeral mass.
Memorials may be left at the funeral home or the church for the Carroll County Relay for Life or for Kuemper Catholic Schools Elementary Library – Holy Spirit Building.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for Monica’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com.
Born on December 26, 1956 at Carroll, Iowa, Monica was the daughter of Elmer and Leola (Baumhover) Simons. She spent most of her lifetime in the Carroll community and graduated in 1975 from Kuemper Catholic High School. Monica attended and graduated from Briar Cliff and later continued her schooling at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, graduating in 1982 with a Masters in Speech and Language Pathology. She worked as a Speech and Language Pathologist in Albion, Nebraska for a brief time before returning to the Carroll area where she continued her career with Heartland AEA, retiring in May of 2012. She will be most admired for her dedication to the many children she helped in her specialized field. Monica enjoyed her cat Millie, traveling, Star Trek and walking with her friends. She loved children, especially her nieces and nephews and was a special part of their lives. Monica was active in the Carroll Community Choir, Holy Spirit Parish Spirit Singers, Breast Cancer Support Group, Pink Ribbon Ladies, American Speech-Language & Hearing Association, Iowa Speech- Language & Hearing Association, and was a member of Holy Spirit Church in Carroll.
Monica is survived by her father, Elmer Simons of Carroll; one brother, Greg (Connie) Simons of Carroll; two sisters, Denise (Ron) Mueller of Bettendorf, and Claudia (Joe) Halbur of Carroll; her nieces and nephews: Brent Simons of Carroll, Tyler (Sarah) Simons of Carroll, Meghan (Troy) Shelley of Waukee, Michael (Kyann) Mueller of LeClaire, Dr. Jason (Kristen) Mueller of North Liberty, Nicholas (Joanna) Halbur of Omaha, and Amy (Dr. Mark) Abraham of La Crosse, WI; 10 great nieces and nephews; as well as several aunts, uncles and other extended relatives.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents; and her mother, Leola Simons in April of 2009.