Charles William Simi, “Chuck” to all who knew him, 70, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Monday, February 3, 2020, at North Memorial Hospital following a cardiac arrest.

Preceded in death by his parents, William and Verna (Wuollet) Simi and sister Carol Simi.

He leaves his wife of 50 years, Alice (Riedemann) Simi; his son, Troy and his wife, Jolene (Aydt); his daughter, Carrie; his grandchildren Shauna Simi and her fiancé Briana Jorgensen, Caitlin, Derek and Nathan; his brother Dennis Simi and his wife Del; his sister Jan Seiferd; several nieces and nephews; and countless friends.

Chuck was born and raised in North Minneapolis. He graduated Robbinsdale High School with the class of ’67. In June of ‘68 he met his soon-to-be wife, Alice, who he married in May of ’69. He was drafted into the army shortly after.

He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he earned several medals, including the Purple Heart, two Bronze Service Stars, and the Army Commendation Medal.

When considering his career prospects after the war, he chose an education program at Control Data Institute, his primary consideration being a dislike of the heat and noting computers needed air conditioning. Thus he went on to become a “hardware guy”. He spent 30 years building printing systems, and then managing the people who built them for Hagen Systems.

Chuck had many hobbies, including reading (Stephen King was his favorite), hunting, fishing, and all kinds of sports, both watching and playing. He particularly enjoyed music, played guitar for fun, and in his later years loved to spend afternoons singing along to the jukebox with friends. He was an immensely proud dad and grandpa who relished family bonfires and had an endless supply of “dad jokes”.

A celebration of life will be held at the Anoka American Legion on Saturday, March 7th. There will be a short ceremony including military honors at 11am, followed by lunch and open house through 3pm. Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to the National Veterans Foundation.