Carol Simons Lira

Carol Simons Lira , 68, of 3754 Prospect Street, Truxton, N.Y. died on Wednesday January 18, 2012 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse.

Born on January 13, 1944 in Cortland N.Y., Carol was the daughter of Lester and Olive Simons. The family lived in Dryden and then moved to Preble.

Carol is survived by her husband of 28 years Joaquin Lira, her son David (Samantha) Hobart of Douglas, Arizona; her mother Olive Coit of Cortland; sisters, Faye (Jerry) Butts of Harford, and LouAnne (Ronald Prosser) Simons of Homer; brothers, Randall Simons of Lamoine, Maine, Garry (Jeanette) Simons of Cortland and Danny (Roseanna) Simons of Homer; step-sons, Felipe Lira, and Joaquin (Maria Elena) Lira, of Eloy, Arizona and Nicolas (Zenayda) Lira of Casa Grande, Arizona; 12 Grandchildren; many wonderful Aunts, Uncles, Nieces and Nephews; many dear friends; her beloved doggie Shorty and her adorable kitties Hecate and Ruby.

Carol was predeceased by her sons, John Eric Hobart, Phillip Hobart, Duane Hobart; her father Lester Simons and her, kitty Iris Inez.

Carol was looking forward to this summer’s reunion with her former classmates from Homer High School where she was a cheerleader and active in many clubs. Carol and Joaquin were co-Presidents of Phi Theta Kappa and earned their Associate of Arts degrees in May 2003 from Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona and Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies in June 2011 from Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, New York.

Carol’s life experience was truly inspirational. She was office manager for Bruce Babbitt when he was Arizona Attorney General and preparing to be Governor, worked with Carl Sagan at Cornell, and then played a key role in the early 1980s organizing drive to unionize workers at Cornell. She became a skilled labor organizer and was hired by UAW-District 65 to work with Revlon Cosmetics Factory workers who were negotiating a new contract in Phoenix, Arizona. She met her future husband Joaquin in Phoenix.

Carol went on to work as a VISTA Volunteer, taught English as a second language, and coordinated a community garden project for Centro Adelante Campesino, a farm worker community center in Surprise, Arizona. When she completed her VISTA duties she was appointed Director of Organizing for the Arizona Farm Workers Union. In October of 1988 Carol and Joaquin moved back to Central New York where they worked for Cortland County as Social Welfare Examiner Trainees while living at Common Place Land Trust in Truxton. They were active in the struggle to keep the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Dump out of Cortland County.

Carol learned the art of baking bread and became a partner in On The Rise Bakery, a women’s cooperative in Syracuse. Carol and Joaquin went to work at Ithaca High School in 1991. Carol was secretary to the English, Business and Health Departments and coordinated the student peer mediation program. In 1997 they moved to Douglas, Arizona to be near Joaquin’s parents who were having health issues. They worked for the Douglas Unified School District until the year 2000 when they became co-editors of a local weekly newspaper, The Douglas News.

Carol and Joaquin moved back to Truxton in 2006 after his parents died. Carol worked for Madison-Cortland ARC until Ithaca High School hired her and Joaquin. Carol retired in late June 2011from Ithaca City School District after serving as Registrar, Attendance Secretary and Special Education Department Secretary. She was looking forward to enjoying many of her favorite hobbies. She was a Master Gardener, a professional photographer with her pictures on the front of Communities Magazine, she was an avid reader and was proud that as a little girl in Dryden she got her library card and couldn’t wait to read the stack of books she would take home.

Carol loved to dance and sing. She loved to eat berries off the berry bushes on her property and she loved to crochet scarves and catnip mice to give as presents. Carol had a wealth of knowledge about the healing properties of the herbs and plants growing naturally in the fields and woods. She was also a talented interior decorator and landscaper. Carol’s sweet smile will be missed by family and friends.

A Celebration of Carol’s Life will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at the historic Unitarian-Universalist Church, “Old Cobblestone Church” 3 Church Street, Cortland, New York. Rev. Jan Johnson will lead the service and then everyone will move down to the social room to share a dish to pass meal and their memories of Carol.

Contributions in lieu of flowers in memory of Carol should be made to Cortland SPCA, 879 McLean Road, Cortland, New York. Their website is www.cortlandspca.org/ Perkins Funeral Home, Dryden, NY assisted the family. www.perkinsfuneralhome.com