THERE was something extraordinary about the homegoing service last Sunday for Eloise Elizabeth Simmons, the 73-year-old wife of Carl Simmons, a senior elder of the Brethren Assemblies of Bermuda.

There was nothing sombre about it. On the contrary, the service was a true celebration of a genuine Christian life, of a woman eulogised as an extremely special and unique person.

She was a gifted mathematics schoolteacher, mother of three academically brilliant children; and was totally committed in mentoring women and children to develop spiritually, mentally, academically and emotionally.

The service, lasting nearly three hours at the Cobb's Hill Gospel Chapel in Warwick, was attended by hundreds from all over Bermuda, and from as far away as South Africa, the United States and islands in the Caribbean, where Mrs. Simmons, side by side with her missionary husband, had impacted on the lives of so many people and, in the words of their prominent daughter Cheryl-Ann Lister, had left her footprints on the sands of time.

Bermuda's Premier Jennifer Smith and several members of the Cabinet attended the funeral. Also present were clergy from various religious denominations. The tone for the service was decidedly set by the spirited congregational singing of the hymn Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine.

Following the opening prayer by Elder George Jackson, and the Scripture reading by Elder Gladwin Packwood, the virtues of Mrs. Simmons were movingly extolled by Elders from various local Gospel Assemblies, including Melvin Somner of Crawl; Franklin Zuill of Harrington Sound; Steven Powell of North Shore; John Ward of Middle Road Gospel Chapel; C. Leroy Simons of Cobb's Hill; and John Simmons of White Hill Gospel Chapel.

Elder Gerald Massdorp, who flew from South Africa especially for the funeral, led the overseas tributes, followed by Livingston Clarke of the US; Lewis Paul from St. Lucia; Theophilus Kelly of Nevis; and Rex Major of the Bahamas. The Message was by Elder Patson Agard of New York.

Tributes in song and word were also forthcoming from members of the family. Daughter Cheryl-Ann, who is chairman of the Bermuda Monetary Authority and wife of Labour & Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister, prepared the obituary. She said there was much that could be said about her Mom's life, but she summed it up by saying she had lived it for God and for others.

"She is now with the Lord Whom she loved. We have said goodnight to her as we will see her again in that great 'getting-up' morning."

ELOISE Elizabeth was born in Pembroke on June 6, 1929. She was the second of eight children born to the late Cyril and Edna Joell. She attended area schools before going to the Berkeley Institute on scholarship. She was a gifted student, who completed the Cambridge Senior School Certificate by the age of 15.

While waiting to enter university, she spent an extra year at Berkeley doing commercial courses, and made an early start to her teaching career as an assistant at Ord Road School from April 1946 to August 1947. She left the island on a Bermuda Government scholarship to pursue a BA degree in Mathematics at Queen's University, Canada, which she completed in May 1950. Following graduation, she returned home and taught mathematics and Latin at Sandys Secondary School from September 1950 to July 1953.

Following her marriage on April 17, 1952 and birth of her daughter and sons Alan and Douglas, Mrs. Simmons qualified in Practical Nursing through Wayne School in Chicago to assist in her upcoming mission work. She also gained a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education at the University of New Brunswick in Canada and a Master's in Education in Guidance and Counselling through Indiana University.

In 1953 Eloise and husband Carl (pictured above) became full-time Christian workers following commendation by all the Brethren Assemblies in Bermuda. They first travelled as missionaries to the Bahamas, where they founded the Long Island Christian Institute.

In 1959 they moved to the island of Nevis where they helped build up three different assemblies in Charlestown, Brown Hill and Zion Hill. After returning to Bermuda in 1972, they became active in services to various local assemblies, and from here they embarked on various missionary trips to North America, Africa and the Caribbean.