Obituary: Col. Thomas Simonet helped lead I35W bridge collapse response — and umpire vintage ‘base ball’

U S Air Force retired Col Thomas Simonet lived a life of organization on a global national and local level During his -year tenure in the Air Force Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves Simonet served in places like Korea England Germany and Turkey U S Air Force retired Col Thomas Tom Simonet died May at Courtesy of the Simonet Family As the state s urgency preparedness liaison officer for the Air Force Simonet spent a decade supporting Homeland Defense efforts during major natural disasters or events including the Interstate W bridge collapse Hurricane Katrina the Republican National Convention and the flooding of the Red River Simonet of Stillwater also helped out close to home serving on the boards of the Washington County Historical Society the Minnesota Air National Guard Historical Foundation Knights of Columbus Council and the Stillwater Veterans Memorial Simonet died May of complications related to pancreatic cancer at his house in the Croixwood neighborhood the home where he grew up He was Simonet who served as treasurer of the Washington County Historical Society was instrumental in the society s efforts to create the Washington County Heritage Center which opened in declared Ryan Collins who serves as the society s vice president Simonet did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work to get Heritage Center ready to go announced Collins who also serves on the Stillwater City Council There s no doubt in my mind that without Tom it would not have happened Simonet who spent years with Norwest Wells Fargo Bank before retiring in as a vice president for Institutional Retirement Trust Services had a unique ability to negotiate without negotiating mentioned Brent Peterson the society s executive director He was a guy who could steer a conversation in the right direction that would make everything good for everyone Peterson mentioned If it wasn t for Tom s financial leadership the Washington County Heritage Center would not exist The citizens of Washington County owe him a lot because of that He truly was one of the finest people I ve ever known Joined rather than be drafted Simonet was born and raised in Stillwater and graduated in from Stillwater High School where he competed on the school s ski cross-country and track teams That same year he enlisted in the U S Air Force following in the footsteps of his older brother Jack who was a a mechanic on C- Globemaster He travelled the world Tom Simonet wrote in a self-published memoir I received letters from Jack telling me of his adventures from Southeast Asia to Europe He was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii To me Hawaii was a distant and exotic land The draft was still in effect and I requested to go my direction and not have the executive decide for me I saw it as a good avenue to learn about myself and to learn a deal Related Articles Woodbury City Council announces new city administrator Canadian wildfire smoke causes very unhealthy conditions in American Midwest and reaches Europe Ramsey County Board gets feedback on projects to be funded by Riverview Corridor money Ground is broken for next phase projects at St Paul s Highland Bridge New Bush Foundation Fellows include amputee journalist architect more After being disclosed from developing function in he served in the Minnesota Air National Guard rd Airlift Wing in St Paul where he served as an aircraft mechanic and advanced in rank and positions of Flight Squadron Wing Inspector General and Group Commander with the Minnesota Air National Guard until In he married Susan Duden she died in The couple had two daughters In he married Sharon McNamara Simonet received a bachelor s degree in business from Metropolitan State University in He later received a master s degree in business administration from American Military University in I- W bridge collapse Simonet finished his military career in as the state s urgency preparedness liaison officer coordinating with local and state emergency managers the Federal Exigency Management Agency and the Department of Defense to aid local communities when their materials become overwhelmed One of his proudest accomplishments was helping coordinate the dive crews searching for casualties after the I- W bridge collapsed in the Mississippi River on Aug revealed Lisa Sjogren his oldest daughter A limited hours before the collapse Simonet discovered himself stopped in traffic on the bridge as he drove from Roseville to meet former work colleagues in Minneapolis Traffic was limited to a single lane as major construction occurred on the bridge deck he wrote in his memoir I remember stopping in the southbound traffic lane waiting to move forward I felt the car bouncing as the northbound traffic was moving I was relieved to get off that bridge Simonet and Sjogren were at Simonet s brother s house in St Paul when they got the news His phone just went insane reported Sjogren of Elk River He literally set up a command where we were He was calling saying I need divers I need this I need these people Do we have healthcare advocacy Where are we sending them to We have trauma right What can we provide All this stuff that an emergency comes with Simonet helped coordinate the National Guard and Reserve flying units to offload the diver s equipment and movement it to a staging area near the fallen bridge he wrote The Hennepin County Sheriff requested a group of specialized U S Navy divers He had stated the Secretary of Transportation that his divers were going into areas beyond their capabilities and a group of professional deep water divers was needed to continue the search They were still looking for the missing casualties As I look back on that day I invariably think of the school bus full of children that ended up just behind the semi-trailer where the driver lost his life he wrote When the bridge collapsed the school bus dropped Once it was safe all the children climbed over the guardrail They ended up during this catastrophe at the perfect spot I am thankful they were not one second further in their travels In my firm belief the mighty hand of God helped on that terrible day Simonet received the Legion of Merit the Bronze Star and Meritorious System Medal among countless other commendations In he was recognized for his system and contributions by the Minnesota Air National Guard at the Flight of Honor Ceremony honoring those who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement arrangement and heroism and have left a lasting impact on the organization March was declared Tom Simonet Day in Stillwater in recognition of his lifetime of society facility St Croix Base Ball Club Thomas Simonet umpires a baseball tournament for the St Croix Base Ball Club Simonet died May at his home in Stillwater of complications related to pancreatic cancer Courtesy of the Washington County Historical Society One of Simonet s great joys was serving as the umpire for the St Croix Base Ball Club which plays by rules Sjogren explained The th-century rules include no wearing of gloves no balls or strikes called by the umpire foul balls are not considered strikes and base runners can be tagged out if they overrun first base As umpire it was Simonet s job to start each inning by calling Striker to the line to bid the striker batter to the line a line drawn through the center of the home base He loved saying Striker to the line even when he got sick Sjogren noted When he couldn t be out at the base ball games I took the phone and stuck the phone by the players and then my dad just yelled into the phone Striker to the line Simonet also loved playing cribbage boating on the St Croix River and outsmarting claw machines Related Articles Woodbury City Council announces new city administrator Felt as though they were going to kill me Mahtomedi man beaten and robbed of casino winnings says in court New Bush Foundation Fellows include amputee journalist architect more Air quality alert extended to noon Wednesday throughout Minnesota New MN measles cases verified including Dakota County child who had not traveled He was the master of the claw machine that you would see at places like Perkins restaurants explained Sarah Sederstrom his youngest daughter He had master-level precision and he perpetually won Anytime he did win he d give the prize to a kid nearby I am convinced he was a surgeon in a previous life because of his precision with those things Sjogren reported In addition to his wife and daughters Simonet is survived by two grandsons a stepdaughter and two step-grandchildren Mass of Christian burial will be held at a m on Monday at St Mary s Catholic Church in Stillwater with visitation from - p m Sunday at Simonet Funeral Home in Stillwater