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Valley lost ‘people’s pastor’ with death of Rev. Simon
By LINDA M. LINONIS
youngstown
With the death Monday of the Rev. Lonnie A. Simon, the Mahoning Valley lost a faith leader, civil-rights activist, interfaith supporter, poet and musician.
He leaves a legacy in those endeavors, with his church and his family.
The Rev. Mr. Simon, 87, was pastor emeritus of New Bethel Baptist Church, where he served from 1962-95. He had been in failing health. Mr. Simon was a chant leader in the 1963 march on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King spoke, and during 1965 civil-rights marches on Montgomery, Ala., with Dr. King.
As a tribute to the pastor emeritus, a reunion choir at New Bethel recently rerecorded the album “God Can,” which Mr. Simon orchestrated some 30 years ago.
Mayor Chuck Sammarone recalled when he started out in city government some 30 years ago, Mr. Simon offered “good leadership in the community.”
“He said what he meant and meant what he said,” Sammarone said, adding he used that as example for himself. The mayor added that Mr. Simon “stepped up” and people respected him. “He gave good advice.”
The Rev. Lewis Macklin recalled his mentor, who licensed and ordained him, “as a 21st century prophet who was a friend of God and contemporary of the times and challenges.”
The Rev. Mr. Macklin, pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, said Mr. Simon “stood up for what was right.”
Mr. Simon’s legacy will be the prayerful and passionate approach he brought to issues, Mr. Macklin said.
Mr. Macklin said Mr. Simon believed it was imperative for the church to work outside its walls and “be the church that God called us to be.” Mr. Macklin said Mr. Simon “lived his faith by his actions ” and was the “people’s pastor.”
He championed women in the ministry, Mr. Macklin said.
Experiencing that firsthand were the Rev. Dr. Robin Woodberry, assistant pastor at New Bethel Baptist, and her mother, the Rev. Gena Thornton, pastor of Grace African Methodist Episcopal Church in Warren.
The Rev. Mrs. Thornton was licensed and ordained by Mr. Simon and the Rev. Mrs. Woodberry, licensed by him and ordained by the Rev. Kenneth Simon, his son and pastor at New Bethel. “Generations of his family have touched mine,” Mrs. Woodberry said. “He helped me find my way in the ministry.”
“He touched so many lives in the community and beyond,” Mrs. Woodberry said. “What he stood for will be his legacy.”
Rose Carter, executive director of of ACTION (Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods) and associate pastor at Greater Friendship Baptist Church, said she knew Mr. Simon all her life. “I’m the minister I am now because of him,” she said.
Carter called Mr. Simon a “pillar of the community,” and father and grandfather figure who got respect because “what he said, he did.” “He stood up for what he believed in,” she said.
Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, director of Jewish Community Relations Council, said Mr. Simon’s legacy will endure, in part, through the Martin Luther King Planning Committee, which grew out of the Clergy Dialogue Group founded by Mr. Simon and the Rev. David Kaminsky. The dialogue group encouraged multifaith interaction on issues.
“He had wisdom at his fingertips ... it came from age and experience,” Burdman said. She described Mr. Simon as “very special person” who made contributions to the civil rights campaign.
Burdman said Mr. Simon’s legacy to the Valley includes his “forward thinking” and leadership.
Bev Fortune, a member of the board of directors of Youngstown Area National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Mr. Simon’s legacy will be his “dedication to his church and lives he touched.” He supported the NAACP, Fortune said, adding Mr. Simon’s activism “impacted the community.”
Arrangements will be announced by L.E. Black, Phillips and Holden Funeral Home.