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by Gigi_Graciette from Los Angeles

Last Post 34 days, 16 hours Ago


Randy Simmons - A Life Well-Lived
Feb 15, 2008 | 11:40 AM
Category: News
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Thousands are standing right now to give Randy Simmons a much-deserved round of applause for what the Pastor called "a life well lived".

And from everything we have learned about Randy, he truly lived life to the fullest.

I am taking the liberty of referring to him here as simply Randy and I do it with the utmost respect. For you see, I have learned that LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons was so much more than just a "cop".

Yes, he loved his job, his uniform and his partners in crime fighting but the man with what friends describe as a huge heart, loved and did so much more for so many.

To his family, he was a loving husband and dedicated father. "The ultimate man" is how his wife Lisa described him according to Chief William Bratton. "The ultimate man". Powerful.

To his Church, he was the "Deacon" -- a man of undying and unwavering faith.

To his "Glory Kids", he was a both a mentor and a minister. Randy was their inspiration and guiding light.

And to us he was Officer Simmons, a man of the law. He protected, he served and he lost his life doing it.

Finally, the word "hero" can be used in it's true meaning.

God Bless you Randy.

And God Bless your family. May they take comfort in the memory of a man who will not soon be forgotten.
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Member Comments Total Comments: 5
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rkdbarber
Feb 15, 2008 | 1:25 PM

I'm sorry we've lost another true hero
mystere read my blog view my photos
Feb 15, 2008 | 3:34 PM

When our times come, we will either meet Randy for the first time, or be reunited with him. In the meantime, keep rallying for his family!
niecey428
Feb 15, 2008 | 4:28 PM

The lost of a love one is something not easily forgotten…. Today, Los Angeles is putting to rest another Angel.

My prayers go out to his family and his fellow officers’ for Officer Randy was truly an inspiration to one and all.
John_Schwada read my blog view my photos
Feb 15, 2008 | 6:21 PM

gigi: thanks for your heart-felt comments. just to add a few observations of my own. thursday while doing live-shots for the myfoxla webcast - i met people at simmons' church in carson where he was on view, in his casket. a few stories, vignettes, images stood out: one - told to me by a church usher - was about simmons rushing into church on sunday, or a bible study group on wednesday, still wearing his lapd uniform, coming fresh off the line to pay his respects to his God. the other was of a teenager, who was sobbing almost uncontrollably after leaving the viewing...she met simmons when she was just a child, living in the hacienda housing project in watts, and he had taken her into his glory kids group, on outings, counseled her and her peers on how to lead an ethical life. then, there was his boss, capt. greer, who said randy could have been anything he wanted in life but chose to be a cop and a man who worked with children through his church. and finally, the sight of all these big tough guys, guns strapped to their hips, biceps bulging, who've seen some pretty grim stuff in their days, whose voices broke when they talked about randy simmons and his life.
SimiBill
Feb 16, 2008 | 11:12 PM

There is a quotation, "Man of steel, man of velvet" and here we have such a man, altogether too rare in today's world...
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Gigi_Graciette

Gigi Graciette can be seen nightly on the Channel 13 and FOX 11 Newscasts. She is also the host of "Ella Es…Gigi Graciette", a nationally syndicated radio show – a three-hour program heard daily. Raised by her Portuguese mother and grandmother, Gigi loves to travel – she’s already visited 23 countries – and in addition to having lived in Mexico City, has spent a lot of time in Portugal, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Haiti and England. Gigi Graciette is fluent in three languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Member Since: 7/4/2006


 

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