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<p><em>Marilee Patricia Simonds Meyer</em>, the daughter of James Walter Simonds and Jennie Mable Simonds, was born in Niagara Falls, NY. Being the only child of Jennie and James, she was, she claims, “raised a brat.” She had three half-brothers, Earl and Larry Simonds and Charles Tyler, from her parents’ previous marriages. Jennie was a stay-at-home mom; James was a construction worker who labored long and hard hours but always had time for Marilee and made a loving and caring home for his family. Together, said Marilee, her parents showed her what family values were all about and how important family truly is.</p>
<p>The first six years of Marilee’s life were spent in South America. Her father, a demolition expert, worked for a company that was blasting rock to construct an aqueduct under the Colombian Andes for indigenous inhabitants living near Bogatá, Colombia. When Marilee was 6, her family moved back to the States and to Fort Montgomery, NY, where she lived on the same street corner ever since.</p>
<p>In 1979 Marilee graduated from James I. O’Neill High School, where she met the love of her life, Ray Meyer. She came home from school one day and told her mom and dad that she was going to marry Ray, who proposed to Marilee at the famous Plumbush Restaurant across the Hudson River in Cold Spring, NY. They were married in 1981 at Trails End in Fort Montgomery. Together they raised two beautiful daughters, Justine Nicole and Lindsey Rae.</p>
<p>After finishing high school, Marilee took a job at Marine Midland Bank, where she continued for five years. She then accepted a job at the USAA insurance company. After 15 years there, she joined the staff of the West Point Association of Graduates, hired to be the Cullum file and archives manager. In 2005, she was promoted to memorials articles editor, a very demanding job and one at which she performed superbly. In her nearly 20 years of managing the TAPS process, Marilee assisted on more than 3,000 memorial articles. She also prepared and distributed approximately 12,000 death notifications, which went out daily to the Long Gray Line. </p>
<p>In 2018 the West Point Class of 1956 named Marilee an honorary member of the class, which noted that she had processed more than 100 memorial articles for its members, handling each article with extraordinary care and competence. “In the process,” read the citation, “Marilee has been unfailingly helpful, kind, compassionate, responsive, and professional, assisting not only in the completion of these many articles but with advice on finding and dealing with families, appropriate content of such articles and accompanying photographs.” Other classes soon followed suit, acknowledging that nobody was quicker to respond to questions and answer emails, and no one was more congenial and helpful to multiple classes. At the time of her passing, Marilee was an honorary member of eight USMA classes, a unique achievement that demonstrates how much her dedication and selfless service impacted graduates and their families. Indeed, nobody was more devoted to West Point and its graduates than Marilee. </p>
<p>Over the years Marilee and Ray, a skilled woodworker and cabinetmaker, sponsored many West Point cadets, many of whom kept in regular contact with the Meyers. Marilee and Ray also rescued many dogs. Marilee recalled the old saying that a house is not a home without a dog, and she could not recall a time when they did not have a dog. Ms. Daisy the bulldog and Ms. Lacy the boxer were their favorites.</p>
<p>Marilee lived a happy and productive life, savoring whatever she and Ray did together, whether it was antiquing, traveling, shopping, or just going out to dinner. </p>
<p>Marilee Meyer was an admirable woman—smart, kind, dedicated and compassionate. Knowing how much she did for their legacy and for their loved ones, it’s not difficult to imagine that Marilee was welcomed into the afterlife by scores of the Long Gray Line’s “ghostly assemblage,” each greeting her with that line of high praise from the West Point “Alma Mater” reserved for those who performed their duty on earth with honor: Well Done! </p>
<p><em>—Classmates and Family</em></p>
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