Simon was remarkable because he was talented in so many areas and touched so many people’s lives. A gifted self-taught artist who admired the painter Georgione, he was knowledgeable about art history and often painted in a Renaissance style. Although his lifetime output was small, those who own his paintings treasure them. He was very successful at introducing children to art, teaching students at the Rockland Project School in Valley Cottage during the 1980s and, after 1990, offering classes at his home in Palisades.

Music was important to Simon from his early teens, when Norman Baron introduced him to the clarinet at South Orangetown Junior High. He played at first in the marching band but went on to become a fine musician, next on the bassoon and most recently on the recorder, at which he was a virtuoso. Amateur musicians from all over the area came to his music parties to play together and eat marvelous dishes cooked by Simon. For a year or two, I was privileged to play the cello in baroque trios with Simon on the recorder, Franny Breer on the violin, and Victor Powell on the harpsichord — it is a memory I treasure.

Simon was a self-taught chef and caterer as well. He was continually learning about different cuisines and trying new recipes. His culinary creativity enriched many Palisades parties. He also enjoyed entertaining at home and we all looked forward to his parties. Good food, lively stimulating conversation, and real concern for his guests created a very warm, special atmosphere, an open-hearted community of diverse people. Oscar Wilde once asked , “Who, being loved, is poor”; Simon was loved by many.

Although Simon ended his schooling at high school, he was well-educated because of his wide reading and his curiosity about art, history, and biography. At one point he read through the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica.

It was not easy growing up gay in Palisades forty years ago, and Simon’s adolescence was turbulent. But both Palisades and Simon changed; in recent years he was much more comfortable with his sexual orientation and felt accepted by most residents of the community. The three-page article he wrote on Gays in Palisades, included in my recent book, Palisades and Snedens Landing: The Twentieth Century, shows that he admired the community’s gay residents and was happy to be one of them.

Family was important to Simon. He loved his grandmother, Alice Haagensen, and was very helpful to her as she grew older. He was proud of his sister Annie, his brother Tony, and his niece and nephew, Perri and Cory. The shopping trips he and I went on every Friday morning gave us a chance to talk about our lives and were always enjoyable.

There is a tendency to idealize those who have recently left us. Simon struggled with his own demons; at times he was difficult to live with and at times he no longer wanted to live. I am glad he stayed around as long as he did.

Simon was never satisfied with everyday reality. He wanted to transform it, and much of the time he succeeded. His absence leaves a huge hole in our family, and in the community.