Capt. Douglas Michel Simon, Retired
Saved By Faith
BY: ROBIN COWHERD
A
baby boy was born on September 3,1929 in Washington D.C. and had no name for over two weeks. His mother finally selected the name Doug, after her brother-in-law. The Great Depression, a worldwide economic depression, began in October 1929, just one month following his birth. For years, Doug’s mother would kid her son, “You are the cause of the Great Depression.” Doug Simon: Navy Captain, husband, father, and grandfather, laughs at the family humor now. This son of restaurant owner and a loving mother grew up to serve our country and his family with distinction. If he did cause the Depression, he certainly made up for it over his 89 years. His mother taught him to iron clothes and disciplined him with a sturdy thump of a thimble to the head when needed. When Doug was six, his mother dropped him off for the first day of school at the elementary school eight blocks from home. Doug walked in the front of the school, continued walking down the hall and out the back door and went straight home. He arrived home before his mother, and to her great surprise. From that day on, his mother had the assistance of Officer Ash of the D.C. Police Department to keep an eye out for young Doug. His father had Doug work in the restaurant in two capacities. In his younger years, he washed dishes. In his teens, he tended bar (slightly askew of the law). Doug remembers providing the local police officers “high-test” eggnog on occasion. His parents introduced him to faith at an early age. He was baptized twice, first as an infant at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in the District and then again in the Syrian Orthodox Church, at the request of his father, a second-generation Syrian American. He attended the Episcopal Church every Sunday. He was confirmed at age 12 and served as an acolyte. He loved performing the ceremonial duties of carrying the altar candles, carrying the
cross and wearing his white cassock. He remembers fondly the communion services where on several occasions he knelt beside Father Wilbur and helped the priest remember the words to the communion mass. As Doug began high school at age 15, his parents divorced. His mother relocated across town, but Doug continued to use his father’s address in order to be with his friends at Central High School in D.C. Doug rode both the public bus and the streetcar to get to school each day. He ran track and played saxophone in the band. He proudly remembers his mother providing for the family by working as a secretary at the National Chinese Embassy. She later received promotions and ultimately became a secretary for the United States Secretary of State.
His college career started with an unsuccessful year at the University of Maryland where, competing with students who were veterans from World War II, he “took some time off.” Doug says, “Time off is code for flunking-out.” After spending several summers with his uncle in Jay, New York, Doug enrolled in a two-year school, the New York State Agricultural and Technical Institute in Canton, NY. He transferred to Cornell in Ithaca, NY to complete his college education. Doug kept up with his brother Joe who lived and worked in a shoe store back in the D.C. area. One day, Joe told Doug about a girl who bought a pair of shoes from him. This girl, he said, was attending St. Lawrence University, right next door to Doug’s school. “Her pastor here in D.C, encouraged her to go to school there. I got her name and number,” said Joe, “you want it?” Doug wrote down the name, Sally Graham, and number, and filed it away. In the middle of Doug’s second year of school, he found Sally’s name and number in a notebook and decided to call her. They dated for two years, fell in love and by the summer of his junior year Doug and Sally were engaged. His mother helped him select Sally’s engagement ring. Doug discovered that he was eligible for Officer Candidate School in the United States Navy following his graduation from Cornell in June of 1953. He completed the program and was commissioned into the Navy on November 13 of that year. He married Sally on November 14. They were married at the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington where Sally’s father was the organist. Over the next few years, they lived in New London, CT and Alexandria, VA.
Doug’s naval career consisted of many deployments, promotions and challenges. He travelled the world, the Mediterranean Sea, the South Pacific, Scotland, Morocco and many other ports. He served on destroyers and, following submarine school in 1957, four submarines. Like many in the Navy, his trips often brought him to Norfolk, but it would not be his home until many years later. Doug and Sally had three children: Dean was born while Doug was in the Mediterranean, Brian, while he was home in Norfolk, and Michelle, when he was in Scotland. The separation from his family was most difficult. He gives Sally complete credit for raising the children. He constantly verified Sally’s happiness and she confirmed her happiness with Doug’s naval career, especially since the alternative was for them to run a farm in rural Alabama. Doug remembers Sally’s response, “I don’t want to go to Alabama and raise the kids in the middle of a corn field!” The Navy wins again! Doug’s faith played an important part of his and the family’s life. “Every time I was home (New London, CT and Alexandria, VA), I’d go to church with Sally and the kids.” Doug says. “Dean and I sang in the choir at our previous church in Norfolk and I absolutely love the music at First Pres.”
During deployments, Doug attended services held by squadron chaplains and other designated persons. On two particular occasions during his service he remembers seeking God’s presence when he was close to death. The first incident was when his ship rolled over and they lost an officer who fell overboard. This situation caused Doug severe concern, especially since this officer had taken Doug’s watch that evening. Doug went looking for him and saw only his red hat. Had Doug kept the watch,it might have been him.
Doug and Sally lived a wonderful life following his naval career. He did get that job, in real estate, but not exactly within the two days as Sally wanted. They served together on volunteer Boards of Directors with the Friends of Fred Heuett Foundation and the Virginia Camellia Society. After buying a home in Norfolk, Doug uncovered a hidden row of camellias and Sally and Doug discovered a new love affair. Growing and showing camellias was in their blood and together they derived great joy and pleasure with these beautiful flowers. Doug, When the ship reached by the way, learned port, a chaplain about camellias from grabbed Doug and several people in the pulled him behind some area, one of whom was a trees for a conversation. Doug and Sally at their home in Ghent. She is holding a photo long-time First PresbyteriHe talked and prayed their prize-winning camellia named, “Miss Sally.” an member, Gene Worrell. with Doug and convinced him that the accident was not his fault. Doug explains that, “had we not had that discussion, I would have never forgiven myself.” Doug was the Chief Engineer on a submarine when the second incident occurred. They were in the Indian Ocean off of Pakistan and starting home. Doug was in the Control Room when the sub lost power. The sub was diving too far and too fast with no electrical power. He was greatly concerned they might reach the “point of no return.” Finally the ballast tanks were blown and the boat returned to a safe depth, but the whole sub was shaking. He prayed for everything to be alright. The lights soon came back on and they leveled the ship at 100 feet. Three people saved the ship of 72 enlisted men and 8 officers… two electricians and Doug. Two hours later, Doug begin to shake, pulled a curtain behind him for privacy and “thanked the good Lord that I was still alive.” Doug served in the Navy for twenty-nine years, retiring in 1982 at the rank of Captain at age 53. Following a retirement gala worthy of his distinguished career, his loving wife Sally turned to him and said, “You have two days to get a job.” Doug had just taken his next order from a new boss.
"God is helping us get through this and there are still great moments.” Doug shares that his happiest moment in life was marrying Sally… the highlight of his life. “She is half of me. I don’t know what I would have done without her,” Doug said with unabashed honesty. Sally was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease several years ago. She has trouble walking. She has moments when she does not realize that she is in her own home.
“I still have great moments with her, but there are dark places,” Doug says. “Sometimes I don’t know who I am mad at: Sally or God. But my faith saves me and God makes me think otherwise. God is helping me get through this and I feel embarrassed sometimes that I blamed God.”
Doug, along with a team of home health professionals, takes care of Sally. “No woman has ever moved me like Sally…then and now!” Such a love, nurtured in faith and family and yet Doug chokes up when admitting, “I know we won’t be together for too much longer.” It becomes obvious the advice Doug would give to a young person wanting to know the most important thing for living a good life. “I would say that they should find a person who will walk with you,” and he confesses, “There was not a second in my career that I did not think of Sally and worry about her. But then I know, without a doubt, that someone is watching over her. God is helping us get through this and there still are great moments.”