Lynn Simons

Lynn Osborn Simons, 91, of Cheyenne died August 30 at Davis Hospice. She was born June 1, 1934, in Havre Montana, the first of four children to Robert Blair Osborn and Dorothy Winifred Briggs. She attended primary school in Havre and Flint, Michigan before moving to Golden, Colorado, where she graduated from Golden High School in 1952. She earned a degree in English from the University of Colorado and later pursued a Master's degree in American Studies and Political Science at the University of Wyoming, beginning in 1958. 

ssOn January 19, 1957, she married John Powell Simons in Salt Lake City. They had two children, Clayton Osborn and William Blair, and remained married for 61 years until John’s death. They lived throughout southern Wyoming and elsewhere in the West, including a year in Mexico City, before ultimately settling in Casper. Taking advantage of John's job with the Union Pacific minerals division, they frequently 'rode the rails' for free, sometimes leaving Rock Springs on a Friday night for a weekend in San Francisco.

 She was known for her heartfelt and insightful Christmas letters, her calligraphic-like handwriting, and her insistence on proper thank-you notes. Her curiosity and creativity also found expression in genealogy, knitting, quilting and gardening. A life-long voracious reader, she was often scolded by her parents for reading with a flashlight under the covers. Over the years she maintained authentic, decades-long friendships with people from every walk of life. In her youth she was an avid outdoorswoman.

 Lynn began her career as a junior high school English and American history teacher in Sandy, Utah, singing in the Tabernacle Choir in her spare time. In Laramie, she taught at the University of Wyoming School of Education. Later, as a stay-at-home mother in Casper, she found that "it's very hard for women with small children to maintain their sanity without something else to do," and so she became active in the League of Women Voters. There, she advocated for educational issues and spearheaded the campaign for Casper's 1% sales tax. She also participated in the Casper Symphony Orchestra Guild and, with friends, in the "323" Art Gallery.

 In 1971, Governor Stan Hathaway appointed Lynn to a six-year term on the Wyoming Board of Education. She served as vice-chair and then as chair of the board. During her tenure, she decided to run for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, winning the office in 1978 against the incumbent. She was re-elected in 1982 and 1986 but was defeated for re-election in 1990. In 1988, she ran for U.S. Senate during the so-called "Year of the Woman" election cycle, though she lost in the primary. In 1985, she co-led a cultural exchange delegation to China. In 1993, President Clinton appointed her as a six-state regional representative for the Secretary of Education, based in Denver, a position she held until 2001.

 As superintendent of schools, Lynn sought to ease dissension among school administrators, local boards of education, teachers, and the public. She said, "Ben Franklin said that 'we will hang together or we will hang separately.' I think that's an important concept for educators in an era of declining resources....We must join in that battle together for declining funds because there are many demands on what's available." She also worked to foster ways for educators to share best practices with one another. Contemporaries remember that Lynn's first loyalty was always to the students and to the institution of public education. 

Upon retiring, she characteristically immersed herself in a variety of endeavors. She joined the board of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, taking particular pride in her small part in developing the Children's Village. At Cheyenne's Highlands Presbyterian Church, she found a community of kindred spirits and was elected to the Session. She also served on the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial for the 2003-2006 commemoration. 

Lynn said she would like to be remembered as a person "who stood up and mattered for something." She continued, "What is the honorable way to go with integrity? I suppose there are lessons, the things that you learn like the integrity of being in public office, the importance of separation of powers and the slow dawning of the understanding of things. What they mean affect your personal behavior along those lines of being honest and full of integrity." 

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brothers, R. Blair Osborn, twins Stephen Briggs Osborn and J. Kirk Osborn; and son, Clayton Osborn Simons. 

Survivors include son William Blair Simons of Denver; granddaughter Madeline Rose Simons of St Louis MO; sisters-in-law Alice Cunningham of Seattle and Tania Osborn of Chapel Hill, NC; ex-sister-in-law Susan M. Osborn of Citrus Heights CA; nephews Robert B. Osborn of Sacramento CA, Kendall Mason Osborn of San Rafael CA, Steve Simons of Brea CA; nieces Michela Jantzen Osborn of Mebane NC, Jenna Kirk Osborn of Washington DC, Julianne Simons of Denver and Janet Ancona of Newton NJ and by many great-nieces and great-nephews

. A memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, October 18 at First Christian Church, 219 W 27th St. in Cheyenne. The service will be livestreamed on the First Christian Church of Cheyenne YouTube channel. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, friends contribute to the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens or a charity of one’s choice. 

Quotes and some biographical material are from "Wyoming In Profile" by Jean Mead, Pruitt Publishing, 1982