LUDLOW – Roger Joseph “Jim” Simard, 98, of Ludlow and a former resident of the Doverbrook Estates in Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Friday, April 14, 2023. He passed into Eternal Life at Holyoke Medical Center in Holyoke surrounded by the care and comfort of his loving family. He was born in Holyoke on August 16, 1924, a beloved son of the late Armand J. and Agnes (Fredette) Simard. He was raised in Chicopee, attended the former Rosary High School in Holyoke and had lived in Chicopee most of his life before moving to Ludlow in 2015. He was employed as a Printer and Assistant Foreman for 38 years at the former Hano Business Forms in Holyoke and Springfield and retired in 1986. He was a former communicant of Saint Anne Church in Chicopee and currently was a communicant of Mary, Mother of Hope Church in Springfield. He was a member of the Fairview Council 4044 Knights of Columbus and the Tigers Athletic Club, both in Chicopee. Jim was an avid golfer well into his 80’s and an avid fisherman. He enjoyed watching sports on television and loved to play cribbage, pinochle and shoot pool at the Chicopee Senior Center. Above all, he loved spending time with his family and his friends, especially at family picnics and clam bakes where he was always “the jokester” to all. He leaves his beloved wife and best friend, Doris C. (Deroy) Simard. They were married on May 30, 1945 at the former Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Chicopee and were blessed with over 77 years of happiness together. He also leaves his three loving children, Diane A. Kurtz and Robert J. Simard and his wife, Jeanne, all of Ludlow and Donald N. Simard and his wife, Janice, of Severn, MD; his seven cherished grandchildren, Cheryl Schipper and her husband, Derek, of Hanover, MA, Shawn Kurtz and his wife, Cristina, of Cresco, PA, James Kurtz and his wife, Amy, of Ludlow, Timothy Simard and his wife, Christine, of Ludlow, Nicole Mendes and her husband, Brian, of Chicopee, Jason Simard and his wife, Shelly, of Pasadena, MD and Derek Simard of Glen Burnie, MD; his cherished 21 great grandchildren; his cherished great great grandson; and his many dear nephews, nieces, cousins, extended family members and friends. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his beloved son in law, Roy P. Kurtz who was Called Home on December 29, 2020; his dear brother, Normand Simard and his wife, Helen; and his dear sister, Anita Gauthier and her husband, Julian. His family will receive friends on Monday, May 1, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at Mary, Mother of Hope Church, 840 Page Boulevard, Springfield, MA 01104, (please meet directly at the church). His Burial will follow the Mass at Sainte Rose Cemetery, 49 Olsen Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. His funeral arrangements are entrusted to the St. Pierre-Phaneuf Fairview Chapels, (413-533-3307), 506 Britton Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his memory to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 Saint Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959. For more details and to leave his family condolence messages, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com