Houston Reeve Simmons

Houston Reeve Simmons 5-15-1988-12-13-2022 Houston arrived in this world unexpectedly and left it the same way. With four daughters in the house, Marga and John thought they were done having kids, but on their twin girls' first birthday Marga noticed the familiar signs of pregnancy and thought, "Oh no." She planned to get an epidural with this baby, but the night she went into labor John arrived home late from a gig so she graciously let him nap. Then they got a flat tire on the way to the hospital so by the time they arrived Houston was making his debut. "Sorry, too late" the doctor told Marga. Born at almost 10 pounds, he caught up with his sisters quickly and being 21 months apart, they were often mistaken for triplets. His eldest sisters, Nikki and Sophie, adored him and mothered him his whole life. He ended up being the best unplanned surprise. He was born in Tyler, TX, but was raised in Menard after his parents divorced. He couldn't wait to leave that little town where they wouldn't let him grow long hair, and thus insisted on graduating early to join his twin sisters at college in Tyler. He briefly attended Tyler Junior College studying land surveying, but his ADHD and brilliant mind made school a bore so he withdrew and joined his father's remodeling and restoration business. He picked up carpentry quickly and loved making old houses beautiful again. After a few years in Tyler, the hill country began to beckon him home. He moved back to Menard and rekindled his love for the land his ancestors founded. At 6'3 and 230 pounds, with roots for generations, you couldn't get more Texan than Houston Simmons. Even his name is a Texas legacy. The name came from his paternal grandmother, Ruth Houston, a direct descendant of the legendary Sam Houston. Houston's 3rd great grandfather on his mother's side, Friedrick Luckenbach, was a founder of Menard, while his brother Albert founded Luckenbach, Texas. Which makes perfect sense- Houston would have fit in perfectly with Willie and Waylon and the boys. With his pioneer mentality, Houston should have been born in the 1800s. He didn't care for technology or social media until he learned his rattlesnake videos could fetch over 50k views. He was leery of working for "the man" and never worked for anyone for very long. He had enough random talents to be able to provide for himself. A master at bartering and trading, he often loaned on the word of good people. He was never on time for anything. He'd spend hours arrowhead hunting and expect you to be fine with that excuse for why he was late to dinner. He did have quite the artifact collection to brag about though. He never owned a credit card and hardly used a bank. He never had a 401k or "plan" for the future. He lived day by day, minute by minute, doing what he loved. It didn't make sense to a lot of people and it frustrated the hell out of his parents, but you couldn't stay mad at Houston. All he had to do was show up with his catfish grin (childhood nickname) and big bear hug and all the frustrations melted away. Around 2016 he found his true calling while guiding hunts and in 2019 started the San Saba River Hunting Club with some buddies. They plan to continue the business in his legacy just as he would want. When guiding hunts, he refused to wear camo as he didn't want to be mistaken for an "out of town hunter". His uniform consisted of a vintage pearl snap shirt, swim trunks and cowboy boots almost year round. He made many lifelong friends through guiding hunts and his returning customers were mostly in it for the "Houston experience" as there was none like it. He was the most well read, articulate redneck one could ever meet. When all the kids in Menard were learning Spanish, he insisted on studying German. When all the kids were playing sports, he was having his mom drive him to San Angelo for reptile meetings. At 12, he was the youngest member of the West Texas Herpetological Society. He loved any creature with 4 legs, two legs or no legs. He always had a 4 legged friend with him and often had a snake in a 5 gallon bucket that he was relocating. Another passion of his was collecting and working on old vehicles. On his Instagram page "Resurrecting the Graveyard" he showed off his collection and other gems he would come across. He recently got a '73 Nova up and running and had big plans for a recently purchased '54 Packard with a straight 8 thunderbolt. In his words, "Can't wait to get crackin' on this baby". In 2018, he started Margarita's Sueno Meat Company, fondly named after his mother, raising sheep and goats for meat. He sold his wares weekly at the Menard Farmers' Market. He was passionate about raising his own animals and offering a quality, local product for all to enjoy. He was proud when Texas Monthly's Daniel Vaughn interviewed him for an article about his lamb. "Simmons prefers the T-bone lamb chop if he's getting his pick of cuts, but admits he tries not to "get high on my own supply." He eats plenty of lamb and goat, but the cuts he gets are usually the ones other people don't want to buy, unlike the chops." https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/recipe-smoked-lamb-shoulder/ As you can see, the world lost a truly one-of-a-kind, multi-talented human being. He improved your life just by knowing him and made everyone feel like they were his best friend. His legend will live on in the infinite stories and memories of those he encountered. He is survived by his loving parents, mother Marga Simmons of Menard, father, John Simmons of Tyler, his sister, Nikki and husband Joe Keegan of Arp, sister Sophie and husband Paul Jackson of Ruidoso, NM, sister Hannah Beall of Austin, and sister Katie and husband Spencer Parker of Brownwood. His nieces and nephews, Joey, Josh, Jacob and John Keegan, Riley and Johnny Abernathy, Joseph and Alice Jackson and Winnie Beall. Also Jake Landers, his grandfather figure, from whom he learned so much about ranching and life as well as all of Houston's adopted brothers who we know are mourning deeply. There will be an East Texas celebration of his life held Dec. 30th at his father's house in Arp, Texas. A West Texas celebration "Huey Fest" will be March 25th in Menard, other details TBA.

Houston Reeve Simmons

May 15, 1988 - December 13, 2022