M. James Simonsen, a longtime resident of Eau Claire, died on January 11, 2017, at Waverly Gardens in North Oaks, Minnesota. Jim was born April 17, 1929, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to the Rev. Melvin Andrew James and Luella Simonsen. On August 31, 1963, he married his best friend, Patricia Finn, with whom he shared the next 53 years. He attended North Central College, studying physics and philosophy. He worked at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, DC and then returned to Wisconsin, earning his Masters in Science Teaching from UW-Madison in 1955; he later took graduate classes in solid state and nuclear physics at the University of Kansas. He taught at Mary Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and in 1957 became the second member of the physics department at the Wisconsin State College in Eau Claire (now UWEC). Jim found great satisfaction in teaching throughout his 40-year career at UWEC. He developed courses in electronics and physics for high school teachers, and helped to develop physics into a major in 1959. He served on general education and curriculum committees and wrote programs for the first use of computers in physics labs at the school. Teaching future teachers and non-physics majors about the incredible existence of the cosmos was his passion, and he was most proud of "The Mysterious Universe," a course he developed about the nature of the universe, of matter, and of the values that derive from scientific knowledge, and that has remained a popular course since the late 1960s. His zeal for the wonders of the physical world translated into a love of nature. In his younger years he loved hiking and camping; he spent many summers with Pat canoeing and sailing on Lake Altoona and winters skiing at Cable. He was a member of the Lake Wissota Yacht Club and a Master Gardener. In his retirement, he took nature photographs and volunteered at Beaver Creek Reserve. He and Pat marveled at the beauty and diversity of the earth's landscapes and people in their travels to Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, Alaska, and Hawaii. Jim believed deeply in religious community and that the purpose of life was to love and serve one another. He was on the original board of directors of the UWEC Ecumenical Religious Center and, with Pat, worked at the ERC as a pre-marriage counselor for other interfaith couples. He was a founding and longtime member of Hope United Methodist Church and was involved in adult education and discussion groups dealing with faith, spirituality, and philosophy. Jim is survived by his loving wife and best friend, Patricia Simonsen; their three daughters, Ann (Mark) Oswood, Julie (Robert) Dennert, and Jane (Mike Augspurger) Simonsen; and nine grandchildren: Christian, Tommy, and Margaret Oswood; Sam, Molly, and Charlie Dennert, and Soli, Nat, and Toby Augspurger. He was preceded in death by his parents; and sister, Carol Blink. Jim would remind us to "Lie down on the grass and look up! The universe is there in the many worlds we behold as 2000 points of light. We exist as a tiny part of this mysterious creation! Embrace it in the name of God." Funeral Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2017, at Hope United Methodist Church, 2233 Golf Rd, Eau Claire, with Rev. Scott Daniels officiating. Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. up until the time of the service at the church. Burial will be at Lakeview Cemetery, Eau Claire. Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral & Cremation Services is assisting the family. Memorials may be directed to the Beaver Creek Reserve, S1 County Rd K, Fall Creek, WI 54742.

Service Information

Cemetery

Lakeview Cemetery 1500 Buffington Drive Eau Claire WI 54703

Visitation

Saturday, January 14 2017 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Hope United Methodist Church 2233 Golf Road Eau Claire WI 54701

Funeral Service

Saturday, January 14 2017 1:30 PM

Hope United Methodist Church 2233 Golf Road Eau Claire WI 54701