Sue Helen Middlebrook Simmons, 90, of Tupelo, Mississippi, went to be with the Lord on August 18, 2026, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born on December 12, 1935, in Ethel, Mississippi, she was the youngest of four children born to Estelle and Herman Middlebrook. She attended school in Ethel, where she met her future husband, Bobby Simmons. They married on August 6, 1953, at First Baptist Church in Ethel. Soon afterward, Bobby was drafted into the United States Army, and the couple was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and later at Fort Polk, Louisiana. After his military service, they returned to Ethel and eventually made their home in Tupelo. Over the years, Sue worked in clothing and cosmetics sales and, for a time, owned The Clothes Cottage in Tupelo. She was also active in the Christian Women’s Club, the Pilot Club, and First Baptist Church.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 PM Sunday, August 23, 2026, in the Sadie Holland Memorial Chapel at Holland Funeral Directors-Tupelo. Visitation will be from 12 PM-service time Sunday at the funeral home. Private burial will be at New Hope Cemetery in Kosciusko, MS. Holland Funeral Directors are honored to be serving the friends and family. For those unable to attend the service, it will be livestreamed at hollandfuneraldirectors.com/livestreaming and will be archived thereafter.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Jim and Annie Middlebrook, and her sisters, Nan Howell and Loree Brown. She is survived by her husband of 73 years, Bobby Simmons; her brother, Charles; her children, Marisa (Clark) Sauls of Enid, Oklahoma, and Tim (Brenda) Simmons of Glen Allen, Virginia; four grandchildren, Eric Callahan of Hammond, Louisiana, and Matthew, Gracie, and Zach Simmons of Glen Allen, Virginia; and two great-grandchildren, Rhett and Elle Callahan of Covington, Louisiana.
Sue came to know the Lord Jesus at age 15 during a Billy Graham crusade in Jackson, Mississippi. Throughout their years in Tupelo, she and Bobby were devoted members of First Baptist Church, where they taught first graders in Sunday School together for 15 years.
The family wishes to extend sincere thanks to all who provided excellent care for Sue over the past several years, including most especially the staff of Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo.
