We shared stories and thoughts about Mindy and offered mutual support. We also shared some of her songs as part of the service. The recording is at 
https://uuma.zoom.us/rec/share/fzWTZMUWYWM0sPfuuJ9MkHjyRrCP0G_IQxwhdBcTIGH_NwLgmjeAFbmWTwLMZX5s.RWMpGtQmNfw12KZu?startTime=1646512239000 (Passcode: Nt#+0wa= )
The service begins at the 2:55 mark. The breakout rooms were not recorded, so there is silence from 16:50 to 37:30.

Read more on her CaringBridge site... Her website is at  MindySimmons.com

February 20, 2022
CaringBridge Journal Entry by Mylinda, Mindy's sister

The Simmons family greatly appreciate the massive outpouring of sympathy we have received during Mindy's illness and since her unexpected passing. We appreciate the cards, donations, meals, offers of help with errands and concern for her beloved "puppy dawg" Capo. The stories of how she touched so many lives and how terribly she is missed have brought great comfort to us.

We are planning a celebration of her life -- Mindyfest -- to be held at Mindy's Manor so we can utilize the stage she built in her backyard. The tentative date is April 9. This celebration will be for any and all of her friends who would like to attend and participate in the festivities. In the meantime, we encourage any church, synagogue, music, volunteer, educational or other group that she was involved with to hold your own celebrations of Mindy as you see fit. I will post details on this site as they are finalized. 

(My email is mylindasw@gmail.com if you would like to get in touch with me outside of this site.) (Email address updated Feb 21.)

Previous posts are available at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mindysimmons/journal

MIndy was a cherished guest musician at our church. She first performed for us in 2004. On some occasions she was also our featured speaker. 

Ron Hertenstein of the Unitarian Universalists of Lakewood Ranch, wrote the following:

"Mindy was a major part of the Lakewood Ranch experience.  Since 2017, she was the featured musician nearly 35% of the time, including one service where she was both musician and speaker.  She was our last musician prior to the coronavirus quarantine in March 2020 and our first musician at our recent re- gathering  on December 19, 2021, just two months ago.  More importantly, she was our friend.  Many of us have attended Mindy’s performances at other venues, and she was always joyful in recognizing our support.  We will miss her so much because she was, indeed, the musical heart and soul of our Lakewood Ranch fellowship."

Luckily, we have videos of three of Mindy's performances, taken from our August 1, 2021 service. In light of her passing, the songs she chose and the theme of the service seem especially poignant. The guest speaker is our former Ministerial Intern, Katie Culbert. She and Mindy worked together a number of times during Katie's internship. 

Feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the Comments link below. 

First, the three songs she performed, then the whole service is shown.

During his farewell address on February 6, our minister of 9 years, Roger Fritts, recognized Mindy. After mentioning church staff by name, he said, "I want also to mention Mindy Simmons, who was our guest musician many Sundays over the years. I only reasoned that you have to choose good people, trust them, respect them, and encourage their loyalty to the church. It seemed to work. I owe them more than I could ever express."

These remarks are at 43:29 in the video below: