Captain John Turkle Simon

Captain John Turkle Simon passed away in St. Augustine, Florida, on July 15, 2026, at the age of 83. Born in 1943 in Evanston, Illinois, John was the youngest of Clarence Turkle Simon and Dorothy née Will Simon’s two sons. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wittenberg University in Ohio in 1965, traveled widely and settled in St. Augustine, FL, and earned a Master of Education from the University of North Florida in 1978. John was a joyful adventurer who lived many lives in his lifetime. He was a potter, sailor, shrimp boat captain, elementary school teacher and principal, a university lecturer, and a highly accomplished airline pilot and flight instructor. In each chapter of his life, John left things better than he found them. He created innovative science programs as a teacher and accompanied the 2002 Olympic Torch as it flew across America in recognition of his contributions to improving airline safety. John loved music, stories, jokes, poetry, and animals. But more than anything, John loved people. He had an uncommon ability to turn strangers into friends and friends into family. He had a particular knack for finding anyone who needed a little extra support, and welcomed them in—offering a flying lesson, a home for the holidays, or a place to stay. John found delight in the unexpected, whether that meant sleeping on the roof under the stars with his girls, bringing home pet pigs and snakes, surprising his family with a giant seven-foot Valentine's heart at the neighborhood bus stop, or singing "You Are So Beautiful" at the top of his lungs during school pickup. He filled ordinary days with wonder, and never missed the chance to remind anyone within earshot that "gravity wasn't just a good idea, but the law," and, until the very end, that it was "a good thing he wasn't taking the great dirt nap...yet." John was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence Turkle Simon and Dorothy Will Simon; his brother, Lee Will Simon; and his nephew, Daniel Robert Simon. He is survived by his daughters, Calleen Simon (Brian Quistorff) and Margaret Morrison (Daniel Morrison); his cherished granddaughters, Vivian Simon Quistorff and Lainey Shannon Morrison; his former wife, Shannon Simon; his sister-in-law, Mary Jo Simon; his nephews, John Karl Simon and Stephen Brian Simon and their families; his dear friend, Claudia Sue Rose; and a large extended family of in-laws. John's life was marked by both extraordinary joy and painful struggle. Those who loved him experienced both as he struggled with alcoholism in his later years. We choose to remember the full breadth and depth of John’s life, believing that every person is more than their hardest chapter. In the words of one of his favorite poems, High Flight by John Gillespie Magee Jr., we take comfort in imagining that he has, for the last time, "slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings...and touched the face of God." John will be remembered in an online celebration of his life.

Captain John Turkle Simon

May 18, 1943 - July 15, 2026