Condolence: The time I spent working for Tom Simon at the Aquatic Research Center strongly shaped my understanding of what it means to be a mentor and a dedicated scientist. He cared deeply about all of his commitments and, without fanfare, set an example of how to work towards those commitments. He was a wonderful supervisor, colleague, and all-around human being, always cheerful and kind, and always an energetic and creative force - and he was all of these things for so many people in the many arenas of his life. He made his field and his community brighter, and I hope I will always be better for having learned from him. I was shocked and sad to learn that he is gone, and I want to offer my most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, in whom he took so much joy.

Condolence: I just learned of Dr. Simon's passing. I never met him personally, but he was my professor in three classes at American Public University. I have never had a person take such an active interest in my educational goals or in me as a person. He continued to correspond with me after my last class and I would frequently ask his advice, usually through LinkedIn, which gave generously and completely. I had hoped to meet him someday and I am truly saddened to learn of his passing. Please accept my condolences for your loss.

Condolence: Dear aunt beth and my cousins, I am so sorry for your loss. Aunt beth you lost your best friend, husband, and other half. And to my cousins im so sorry you lost an amazing father, a mentor, and the person who comforted you when you needed him. To me every aspect of his life was perfect. I may not have seen him much since we live in Michigan but he was aleays helpful and smiling he was a man of god and since his pasting I dont live for anyone but god.I want to further my education. He was so inspiring and I will think of that smile of his often. But I think of you all everyday especially my cousins. I love you all so much.

Condolence: Dr. Simon was was a wonderful mentor and always saw the best in people, no matter the situation. He was one of my first teachers in SPEA and I had the pleasure to work with him as both a TA and as a researcher. He always supported his students and was very generous with his time, volunteering with the local high school, IMN classes, and many others. He spent his entire career working to protect our planet's resources and made the world a better place along the way. I am thankful to have known him and know that his optimism and cheer will live on in all of his friends, family and students.

Condolence: To the Simon family, I initially met Tom when I started with the USGS in 1992. Tom was someone who reviewed our fish vouchers. He was always helpful, energetic, and thoughtful. I was fortunate to do some fish community field work with him and learned something new every time I was out with him. Whenever we talked we caught up with our lives and for Tom that meant family. He was incredibly proud of his kids and how he married up. He was a good man and will be missed. My heart and thoughts are with all the family. Jeff Frey

Condolence: I am deeply and truly sorry for the sudden passingly of the great Dr. Thomas Simon. He was not only a gentle and kind man, but a very intelligent and respected individual of the scientific community. I offer my condolences to his loved ones as well as to those who Dr. Simon has touched in one way or another. I only knew Tom for a short time but I looked up to this man for his wisdom, integrity and genius that he possessed. I hope one day I can reach as high as he did. I am honored to have been part of his legacy in the fisheries community and the knowledge he instilled. Rest in Peace Dr. Simon

Condolence: Words can not express how we all feel about the loss of Tom. He was a great guy and a very rare friend for almost 30 years. He loved his family deeply and told stories of each one of you every time we visited. He was so proud of his family. Tom's outlook was always a positive one regardless of the situation. He was a great teacher, colleague, friend, husband and father. We will miss him.

Condolence: Tom was a wonderful teacher of our Master Naturalist classes at Muscatatuck NWR and really got the students excited about the subjects he taught (crayfish and fish). We will greatly miss seeing him here. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

Condolence: I am stunned and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of someone I greatly admired. Tom and I worked together on fisheries surveys in Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio. In our travels to these distant locations and in our time in the field I feel that I came to know him very well. This may be no solace to you, his family, in your time of mourning but his was a life well-lived. He lived with a passion and energy that few will ever know. I am terribly sorry that it was cut too short.

Condolence: Dear family - I was a colleague of Tom's at Ivy Tech; we worked together teaching two different sections of a physiology course this summer. I was so shocked and saddened to hear of his passing, and I extend my condolences to you all and pray that you all feel the comforting presence of God's love during this very difficult time. I only met Tom this past May, but in that short time I so very much enjoyed working with him; he was so friendly and engaging and cared so much about his Ivy Tech students. I am proud to call him a colleague in education, and I am thankful that my last interaction with him - last Thursday evening - was of us shaking hands and telling each other how much of a pleasure it has been working together. I regret that my schedule prevented me for attending the visitation or funeral, but know that I will miss him very much, and I will continue to hold you, the family he loved, in my thoughts and prayers. ~Kyle

Condolence: I am a former EPA colleague who worked with Tom on many Northwest Indiana enforcement cases during the 1990's, when he worked at the EPA Region 5 office in Chicago. Tom had a warm, friendly, and helpful personality, and I enjoyed working with him. We're both the same age, and Tom passed away before his time. I will miss him. Deepest condolences to Tom's family and relatives. May he live on in your hearts and memories.

Condolence: Our deepest condolences go out to all of you. Tom was such a kind man! He had reached out recently to me, just to say hi and see how all of us are doing. We will be thinking of all of you.

Condolence: I am very saddened with the passing of Dr. Tom Simon. I know him from the last 5 or so years at Stone Lab. I really enjoyed listening to Tom's stories about sampling fish, John Mellencamp, and working for the federal government in environmental fields. He told these stories with a wink and mischievous grin. I will miss our discussions on Big Ten Basketball and classic rock and his knack for putting together some competitive volleyball games between the classes on GIB. I was a co-author on only one of his over 350 publications but he really stood up for me at a rough time once and I am very thankful for his help. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. Rest In Peace Tom.

Condolence: Dr. Simon was committed educator, immensely productive researcher, and powerful intellect. I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Simon as a student at SPEA as well as seeing him at conferences. His presence in the classroom and in the field will be missed.

Condolence: I always viewed him as a very good and rare friend and very honorable. He is truly an enormous loss.

Condolence: Our deepest condolences for your loss. Tom has forever changed for the better all the people he worked with on South Bass Island, Stone Laboratory. We were honored to have him as part of our “family” and will be deeply missed. He brought a level of work and professionalism that cannot be matched. He taught all of us, not just his students how to work hard, live humbly, and see the world through a curious eye. We will miss you Dr. Simon. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Beth and your family.

Condolence: Our deepest condolences for your loss. Tom has forever changed for the better all the people he worked with on South Bass Island, Stone Laboratory. We were honored to have him as part of our “family” and will be deeply missed. He brought a level of work and professionalism that cannot be matched. He taught all of us, not just his students how to work hard, live humbly, and see the world through a curious eye. We will miss you Dr. Simon. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Beth and your family.

Condolence: So sorry to hear of Tom's passing. He always greeted us with a smile on his lips and a great story to share. He had such love for his wife & family. Tom's joy in his faith and in science was inspiring. We join you in celebrating his life, and mourning his passing.

Condolence: Dear Simon Family- I was very lucky to have Dr. Simon as my Professor for the past two years. He was the greatest mentor and professor. I was so grateful to student teach by his side, and learn and hear his countless stories that he could go on about for hours. There wasn't a day he wouldn't be smiling, or spreading his contagious laugh through the classroom. My condolences and prayers to the family. Kaitlin Salinas

Condolence: My deepest condolences for your loss. I am one of the many lucky students for whom Dr. Simon served as a mentor during graduate school at SPEA. He taught me so much about aquatic fauna, especially crayfish and fish. I rely on what he taught me in my job and I know I'm a better environmental manager because of him. He also strove to help me obtain more field experience, even going so far as to volunteer to assist some peers and me in locating funding to do summer research on crayfish. I spent more than a few cold fall mornings sorting preserved fish with him for the Indiana Biological Survey. He was such a welcoming person; full of warmth and laughter. He always called me "Jules" instead of Julie for some reason, and because of that, some of my cohorts still call me Jules to this day. I will miss Dr. Simon. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.

Condolence: We have all lost a great friend and colleague, but more importantly, we have lost a fine man with tremendous integrity and faith in the Lord. Our prayers are with his family who he spoke of all the time! At Stone Lab I could always count on Tom to work the hardest and produce the most significant results. During his 6 years at the Lab no professor led more students on Research Experiences for Undergraduates and no professor's students presented more at scientific meetings and produced more publications than Tom's. He truly taught them what science and research are all about! I truly enjoyed kidding with him about our OSU and UM pedigrees. He is already missed! Beth and his kids are in my thoughts and prayers. Jeff

Condolence: We are so saddened to hear about Thomas's passing. Matthew has fond memories of the times he met Thomas when he was with Zachary. He was always so warm and welcoming. You are all in our thoughts and prayers!

Condolence: Dear Beth and family, words cannot express how sad I am to learn of Tom's sudden death. He and I worked very closely together for many years. From the demolition and reconstruction of the Aquatic Research Center and fish processing parties in Fairfax to the Fishes of Indiana and the Calibration of the Index of Biotic Integrity...Tom was a great mentor. I'll never forget the weeks we spent on the East Fork White River electrofishing and the skills he taught me, giving me support and confidence to continue my work at IDEM. He will be greatly missed by the scientific community and his friends. May you find peace in the memories you made with Tom, I know I will. Sincerely, Stacey Sobat

Condolence: Dear Simon family - I am so shocked and saddened to hear of Tom's passing. I worked with him on a couple of projects awhile back and he was a great guy to work with. I admired not only his intelligence and expertise, but also his caring, outgoing personality and his love for his family and God. He made quite an impression on me. I always enjoyed occasionally running into him in later years. I am comforted, as I know you are, knowing that he is now with our Lord. I pray that God will be with you as you grieve your loss.

Condolence: From all Tom's friends at the Ohio EPA, both current and retired, we offer our condolences to family and close friends. Scientists at the Ohio EPA collaborated on many publications and projects with Tom over the years and we always found him to be the consummate professional. He will be sorely missed in the environmental field, but rest assured knowing that his pioneering contributions to environmental monitoring and assessment throughout the midwest will be appreciated and influential for generations to come.

Condolence: Dear Family-I was very sad & shocked to hear of your loss. I enjoyed working with Tom during the South swim meets. His enthusiasm and interest were always appreciated. I hope God's healing powers help you through this difficult time. Kim

Condolence: I was one of the countless students that Professor Simon so selflessly volunteered to mentor through the thesis process at IU. He would probably consider mine one of the more arduous assignments, after first electing to study crawfish populations, a process that involved a painstaking and backbreaking process of flooding the creatures out of their chimney-like dwellings and waiting for them to hopefully emerge. To make a long story short, whether it was the hot sun or the crayfish refusing to cooperate, I managed to catch a whopping ZERO crayfish after a month's work of digging. After I few weeks, I checked in with Tom to explain my failures. Ever the mentor, rather than abandon his post, Tom took the time to help me design a completely new thesis project focused on something much closer to my skill set and hopeful career path. The new project allowed me to simulate an environmental attorney providing advice to a client. While it wasn't easy, and I certainly never met my deadlines, the final product was something that I will cherish for the rest of the life. But more importantly, working with Tom left an invaluable and immeasurable impression on me. As a teacher and mentor, he challenged me to perform at levels that I thought I couldn't reach. But more importantly, aside from the endless professional advice, Tom showed me the value of following your passion and advocating for something larger than yourself. He worked tireless to be there for his students, in ways that go unnoticed and unreported. Making himself available day and night, pre and post graduation for any questions or advice. In my times of personal interaction with Tom, it was so apparent how much love he had for his children. I loved seeing his passion for coaching his daughters team. He confided in me about the politics and pressure that all coaches face. While his passing came much too soon , rest assured that his impact and legacy lives on not only through his wonderful family, but also the hundreds and thousands of students like me.

Condolence: Prior to joining the faculty at Indiana State, Tom visited the university one day to meet with John Whitaker and myself. During that visit, one of my undergraduate students, cornered "the Great Doctor Simon" and sheepishly asked him to look at a series of fish specimens with uncertain identifications. Tom started by noting that the student had correctly made a series of tough IDs and should be proud of their work. Then they arrived at a series of fish where they disagreed. Tom encouraged this disagreement in a a way that led to the student working through alternate characters, treating each as a hypothesis test, until the pair came to agreement. It was one of the finest teaching moments I have ever witnessed. I have long noted this as my proudest moment as an educator--having a student go toe to toe with a noted authority and do so with respect on both sides. It is now my favorite memory of working with Tom.

Condolence: Dear Beth, Tom, Cameron, Zachary & Lia: I am so very sad to hear of Tom's passing. I worked with him at The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and he was a pleasure to work with and it was a pleasure to call him my friend. His love of the Lord was very evident and shined in his eyes when he spoke about him. There's not a better compliment to be made than for you to see one's love of the Lord in you. He had such a passion and joy about his work and he spoke of his family and how much he loved you all. Our family has you all in our prayers during this difficult time.

Condolence: You do not know me, we have never met. My daughter was a student of Dr Simon. She spoke of him often and fondly, with the utmost respect. She is currently at Stone Lab, thanks to a suggestion from Dr. Simon. She was devastated to learn of his passing. Know he impacted many, and his work will continue through his students. She is in her final week at Stone Lab, or she would give you her condolences in person. You have our deepest sympathy. May our Lord wrap his loving arms around you and bring the peace only he can. Give. I am very sorry for your loss. Sincerely Janis Brown

Condolence: I am saddened to hear of Tom's passing. Vince lost his mother suddenly five years ago July 11th. If Zac needs someone to talk to Vince has been through this and I believe can help. If there is anything you need we are only one house up from you. My prayers are with you.