Sonji Irene Brayshaw Simmons

Sonji passed away on June 5, 2019 in Palm Springs, Florida, where she was a resident. Sonji was a native of Jackson, Michigan but spent most of her childhood in Battle Creek. She married the late Richard Rose and they had two children before divorcing in 1968. After graduating Argubright Business College, Sonji worked for a while at the Someplace Else restaurant and, while raising her children, enjoyed sewing and reading. She later married the late Allan Simmons and Bobby Snyder. In addition to Battle Creek, Sonji lived in Las Vegas, Nevada for 15 years beginning in 1989, and in the Lake Worth, Florida area for several years beginning in 2012. Survivors included Sonji’s daughters: Brenda (Andy) McGowan and Kimberly Balasz; her grandchildren: Nicole McGowan, Sarah Balasz and Jack Balasz; her sister Sandra Robinette; and former husband Bobby.

Information from Battle Creek Shopper News, Battle Creek, MI. online on July 4, 2019; Battle Creek Enquirer, November 27, 1968; the BCCHS Class of ’65 reunion booklet, August 16, 1975; The Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach, FL. online November 7, 2016; Dorsey-E. Earl Smith Memory Gardens Funeral Home, Lake Worth, FL., and the website ‘familysearch.org.’