Teresa Lynne Simmons Obituary
April 21, 2025
MACOMB, IL - - Western Illinois University emerita Professor Teresa Lynne Simmons, 65, of Macomb, passed away on January 2, at Quincy's Blessing Hospital from complications related to colon cancer.
Simmons retired from WIU in 2020, having spent much of her career teaching advertising and mass communication and preparing her students for careers in marketing. She is also proud to have worked as an account manager for United Airlines at Leo Burnett in Chicago, which eventually led to her university career, as well as serving as an adjunct lecturer at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, NSW, Australia.
Simmons was an avid reader and had an impeccable sense of style. She was also an adventurous, curious and passionate traveler who had explored every continent except Antarctica. She especially enjoyed visiting Europe, where she traveled most extensively and devoted much of her free time to culture, gastronomy, archaeology and art history.
Since her retirement, Simmons has devoted herself to caring for her mother, to continuing to travel and to an extensive project of reconstructing her direct ancestry.
Simmons is survived by her son, Christophe-Thomas Simmons of Montréal (Canada), her mother, Serena Simmons (née Murphy) of Knoxville, her sister and brother-in-law, Melissa (née Simmons) and Paul Hinton of Rantoul and her cat, Marvin Gaye. She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Thomas Simmons of Knoxville.
To learn more about Simmons' life and leave condolences, visit galesburg.com/obituaries/pils1067802.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
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