Elizabeth (Brusco) Simmons

Elizabeth B. Simmons (Brusco) of Westfield, Massachusetts, died on February 16, 2021, age 93 years, of complications due to COVID-19 at Chicopee Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.  

She was born in Westfield, daughter of the late John and Elizabeth Brusco. Elizabeth was predeceased 4 weeks prior to her own death by her loving husband of 67 years, Ernest L. Simmons.

Raised in Brattleboro, Vermont, her family relocated to Westfield in 1941.  Elizabeth was the valedictorian of her Westfield High School class of 1945. She pursued her goal of earning a bachelor’s degree and graduated from Westfield State College in 1980.  She worked as a bookkeeper for the Little Coal Company, later Chapman Fuel Company, in Westfield.

Elizabeth was a proud and active member of the Slovak Heritage Society of Westfield. She traveled to Slovakia several times to connect with relatives and to visit family birthplaces.  

Elizabeth was devoted to her immediate and extended family, assisting many elderly relatives in the later stages of their lives.  Her two grandsons were her pride and joy. She was a dedicated and faithful member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Westfield, for her entire adult life.

She is survived by her daughter Anne (R. Wayne) Grauel, and grandsons, R. John and Aaron, all of Maryland; her sisters-in-law Helen Brusco and Wilma Gillan; and four nieces. In addition to her husband, her brothers Richard and Edward Brusco and two nephews predeceased her. 

A private graveside committal service will be held at Pine Hill Cemetery in the fall.  Firtion-Adams Funeral Service is assisting the family.

He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11

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