Ernest J. Simmons

Ernest J. “Sarge” Simmons, 88, of Pine Township, Gibsonia, died Friday morning at UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless Township.

Born in Pittsburgh on May 17, 1927, he was the son of the late Stanley and Bernadine Szfranski Simmons.

Ernie was retired from the Pennsylvania Railroad (Conrail) at the Conway Yards and later was the owner of E.J. Simmons and Son Cemetery Contractors.

A career Marine, he was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean War.

He was a gunnery sergeant at the time of his retirement from service.

He was a member of the Marine Corps League Bantam Marine Detachment 743 in Butler, where he worked on the Toys for Tots project and was the Pennsylvania State Scholarship Chairman.

He was the state and national rifle chairman and was the PA Marine Corp League Marine of the Year in 2003.

He also belonged to the Butler American Legion and volunteered at VA Butler Healthcare.

He taught scuba diving and ham radio classes for the Boys Club of Pittsburgh and also did firearm safety classes at Camp Trees.

He was a member of St. Kilian Catholic Church in Mars, where he had served as an usher.

Surviving are his wife, Roseann Happe Ross Simmons, who he married on July 3, 1971; a daughter, Mary Elaine Tishey (Kenneth R.) of Valencia; four sons, Edward J. Ross (Brenda K.) of Mars, John L. Ross, William W. Ross (Lynn) and Richard S. Ross (Beverly) all of Gibsonia; a brother, Bernard A. Simmons (Diane); 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A foster parent, he also had fostered five children.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Gerald Simmons.

SIMMONS — Friends of Ernest J. “Sarge” Simmons, who died on Friday, June 5, 2015, will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, 238 Crowe Ave., Mars.A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in St. Kilian Catholic Church, at the corner of Clark and Cherry streets, Mars, with the Rev. Charles Bober, pastor, officiating.Burial with military honors by the Marine Corps League of Butler will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Marshall Township.Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, P.O. BOX 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.