Seena Kay (nee Ballard) Simmons was born on November 29, 1939 in Rolla, Missouri to William Ballard and Thelma (nee Duncan) Ballard and passed away July 5, 2026 at the age of 86 years.
She graduated from Parkview High School in 1957 and later attended Southwest Missouri State University.
In 1961, she married Paul Edward Simmons.
She worked as an Administrative Assistant for the Production Credit Association.
She enjoyed cooking and her paper bag apple pie, cinnamon rolls made from leftover mashed potatoes, hushpuppies, skillet-fried chicken, potato salad, and cobblers became family favorites. She passed down handwritten cookbooks and family recipes
She also had a special talent for quilting and hand embroidery. She created baby quilts and Christmas stockings.
She loved to dance. Seena and Paul especially enjoyed dancing the jitterbug to numerous Elvis Presley songs and some of their other favorites for hours together.
She treasured the friendships and special times she shared with Kenny and MaryLou Long, Dwayne and Bonnie Miles, June Lovan, Kem Schweider, among many others.
She was a longtime member of Steeleville First Baptist Church and was involved in the AIM High Club for many years. She also served as president of the Steeleville Cemetery and established the Paul E. Simmons Scholarship Fund.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul; parents, William and Thelma Ballard; grandfather and grandmother, William Andrew and Sarah Ellen Duncan; sister, Billie (Jay) Kinser; brother-in-law, Donald Potter; and grandson, Connor Mahurin.
She is survived by her daughters, Kathie (Kevin) Mahurin and Julie (Paul) Tyler; grandchildren, Aaron (Jenny) Mahurin, Jackson Tyler and Seena Tyler; great grandchildren, Macklin and Lucy Mahurin; sister, Joanne Potter; nieces, Teri Mills (Kinser) and Seena Marie Yager (Potter); nephews, Jay Kinser and Dan Potter; granddaughter-in-law, Shea Mahurin; other relatives and friends.
Graveside inurnment service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in the Steelville Cemetery with Rev. Jerry Beers officiating.
Arrangements under the direction of the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville, Missouri.
