Support Simon's Family in Their Time of Need

Our beloved friend Simon Joseph left this material world on Saturday September 28th

Simon Joseph was many things, he was a son, brother, United States Marine, UChicago student, and a friend to all. It's not an exaggeration to say that he had a profoundly positive impact on every single person he encountered. Any of his friends or family can attest to how his big smile and his bright blue eyes would light up a room. The loss of Simon is deeply saddening to all who knew him, and I know countless people who would do anything to alleviate the pain and stress of his family at this time. The goal of this gofundme is to provide financial support to his family to cover funeral costs and any expenses arising at this very difficult time.

Now to say some things about my friend, Simon was 28 years old and from Wilton, Wisconsin. After graduating from Tomah High School, Simon went on to serve his country in the United States Marine Corp from 2017 to 2021. Immediately following his service, Simon made everyone proud and attended the University of Chicago and majored in Behavioral Psychology with the intention of one day selflessly helping veterans and service members. Simon Joseph loved three things, his family, his friends, and the Green Bay Packers. Anyone who knew him knew he was an avid fan of any Wisconsin sports team, and notably that he was a proud shareholder of the Packers. It's safe to say that Simon loved music more than most, and had the most diverse, and often surprising, taste in all genres of music. He was also exceptionally talented at the guitar, and I spent countless nights hearing him and his good friend Sam show off and strum along with each other. I also have to mention, and he would hate that I'm saying this, but he was the greatest harmonica player I've ever seen in my life.

Simon was a man of many talents, many interests, and many, many friends. Everyone who knew Simon at the University of Chicago knew that he was a friend you could rely on, a shoulder to cry on, or just an ear to talk things through with. He had such a kind and calm demeanor about him that was immediately noticed by everyone he encountered, and even the blind or deaf could notice his infectious smile or contagious laughter. He had a profound impact on not only other veterans at the University of Chicago, but also administrators, faculty, his professors, and students in his class. He loved playing on the veteran's intramural flag football team, was passionate about interning and working in a clinical lab with the Psychology department, and truly cared about the people around him.

There are pages upon pages that I could write about how genuine and truly good of a person Simon was, but I'll just tell him when I see him again. I speak for all of his friends at the University of Chicago when I say that Simon was the best of us.

If you knew Simon personally or would like to alleviate the stress his family is going through at this time, please donate what you can.