Townley Simons
Townley Simons, age 81, passed away peacefully on February 6, 2026, near Seattle, Washington where she lived most of her life.
Born in Bangor, Maine, on October 14, 1944, to Robert & Donna Simons. Her father’s career took them several places around the US, most mentioned was Juneau, Alaska, finally landing in her most beloved Three Tree Point in Burien, WA.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Townley started as a flight attendant for several years which took her to Annapolis, Maryland where she honed her deep love of sailing and co-captained a charter boat in the Caribbean. Returning to Seattle she crewed Thunderbird sailboat races. Townley explored several career opportunities including oceanography, retail, house painting, administration, & speech pathology. Ultimately she built a career with three of her favorite activities: gardening, skiing, and sewing.
As a professional gardener, Townley created beautiful outdoor spaces and functional vegetable gardens, sharing her extensive knowledge and care of Pacific Northwest plants. In the winter months, she was a professional ski instructor and midweek program manager at Powderpigs Ski School, introducing many students to the joy of skiing. Townley was the recipient of several awards with the Pigs: “Reigning Queen of Red Railings & Recyclables”, “Mighty Tidywhity & Mountain Wisdom Inspirational Award (For dispensing long held knowledge on midweek moms, moguls & bunions - plus a lot of other stuff),” and “Superwoman Award (She manages! She skis! She Fixes!).” Year round she enjoyed working with Seattle Girls Choir, primarily as the seamstress. After she retired from skiing in her seventies, her instructor nametag remains posted at the Powderpigs Ski Lodge commemorating her time and many kiddos that she guided, encouraged, and occasionally wrangled along the way.
Her love of nature and particularly skiing took her to many places both nationally and abroad with favorites at Big White in Canada and Chamonix in France. Curious about her name’s history, she and her mother went to Towneley Hall in Lancashire, England. A woodworking trip to Germany led her to her new favorite shoe; Birkenstock. An invitation took her to visit the Netherlands multiple times, and she said if she ever left the US, it would be there. Mexico also had a strong draw for her with numerous visits especially to the tiny coastal Yelapa.
She is survived by her daughter, Robin Trevitt; her granddaughters, Townley Presley (Jason), Emma Prang, Kelly Prang, and Krista Kenning (Brad); and her great-grandchildren, Lincoln, Piper, Keira, Anna Katharine, Emilia, Karlee, Kadi, and Peyton.
A celebration of life will be held 1-3pm on Sunday April 19th at Powderpigs Ski Lodge.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Tilth Alliance in Seattle where she spent many volunteer hours.
She will be remembered for her endless curiosity, love of the outdoors, her adventurous spirit, the joy she found in connecting with her friends and family, and of course dark chocolate.
