Hudson Cole Simmons

Hudson Cole Simmons was born April 16, 1999 in Milwaukee, WI while his father was a senior in dental school. He is the oldest of 4 boys. His family lived for a short time in Beaufort, SC and Chicago, IL before settling in the northwest area of Spokane during 2003. He was always of a solid build. Everyone was surprised at how heavy he was when they went to pick him up. He had a funny way of crawling. He used his left foot and right knee on the ground. Grandpa Simmons called it a creepy crawler. When he got going fast he looked like a spider. As early as kindergarten he was sensitive to how those around him felt and showed concern for others. As we all know his kindness for others and his ability to be a friend to those in need was throughout his life. Many of us can recall a time when Hudson was there to listen and give a needed smile. Early on, his family knew he had a gift for learning. If he was introduced to something he was able to quickly grasp it and remember it. He loved numbers and kept his mom busy quickly rattling off long string of math problems to see if he was right ("mom, what's 2+4+1-3+5?") Numbers were always easy for him and Hudson had his own way of looking at things around him. Mental puzzles and strategy games were his forte. He loved playing games like Acquire, chess, and Settlers. Around 3rd grade began his fascination with space. If someone needed to know the distance between a planet- he could tell you. In 2010 his family moved to the Spokane Valley area, and Hudson entered 6th grade at Centennial. He jumped into a new school with only knowing a few kids from church without complaining. He tried school sports for first time. He started with wrestling. He felt like he had to prove himself to the others. Next he tried basketball, baseball, and track. He was introduced to skiing by his father and the love of skiing was fed by the Christensen family. He went as often as he could. He would ski any day, any weather, any snow, anytime. He loved to challenge himself on the steep and deep. He loved the sunny days, the fun with friends and the challenge and freedom of skiing. By the end of middle school he had a good group of friends to carry him into 9th grade at West Valley High School. During Hudson's Freshman and Sophomore year he attended early morning seminary. Before zero hour started he studied the scriptures with a group of teenagers. Even though it was early and hard he still went and felt it was a strength to him. After seminary, he went straight to weights class. Hudson loved working out. He liked the aspect of improving himself. He was always proud of his new stats in what he could lift, squat, and jump. He was competitive when it came to proving his strength. During his two years of high school he acted on his interests of math, science, and all things learning. Some classes he took were engineering, AP Biology, Spanish, Algebra, Western Civics. He once told his mom that if he was interested in something then it was easier for him to retain the information. During his high school years it became evident of his talent to teach and explain concepts to others. He did it with such ease and clarity. He could rattle off cellular processes of the body without a book in front of him, and you knew he understood it. Recently, he thought he might like to be a chiropractor because he enjoyed learning about the body. He tried football his Freshman year for the first time. He knew he lacked many skills, but he still enjoyed being out with the team. Also as a Freshman he went out for track. He decided to go out for pole vault. He liked it because it was a unique individual event that was challenging. He surprised many his first year by clearing 10' 6". During the winter he attended the SCC pole vault camp. His Sophomore year he was able to clear 11'6". He enjoyed the camaraderie of the pole vault team. He had fun training and hanging out with them. Pole vaulting became his second sport he loved. Many family and friends enjoyed watching him compete. Throughout his teenage years Hudson was involved with scouting camp outs, hikes, and high adventures. In scouting he attended multiple scout camps, floated the Salmon river, jumped off cliffs, hiked to the top of Eagle Cap Mountains. As a family Hudson enjoyed the travels and explorations of many places. Some of them include: visiting the Bahamas, the Mayan ruins in Cancun, hiking the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas Red Rock, exploring Arches National Park, Zions National Park, The Olympic National Park, and most recently Mt. Rainier National Park. Hudson loved to have fun- going on vacations with his family, camping hiking, scouting, hanging out with friends, science fiction movies, gaming with his friends, captain america, clash of clans and more. He was able to try new things and just go for it. Hudson is loved by many! Who is Hudson? He is a... child of God a priesthood holder son brother grandson nephew cousin friend athlete student eagle scout pole vaulter skier leader