DAVID PAUL SIMON
1942 - 2012

It is was great sadness that I annouce the death of the creator and primary playwright for Carney, David Paul Simon.  David passed away suddenly on May 20, 2012 after a brief illness.  As his obituary is posted below, I wanted to honor the man who help me start my career as an actor.  I first met David when he ran the Guild Payers Touring Company from the 50 Main Street, Playhouse in 1983.  I was 15 and had made up my mind that I would be an actor.  I developed my love of theatre at the Guild (as we called it) and had an absolute blast.  I met my first actual girlfriend there and learned a lot.  But most importantly David told me that I had talent and could act.  That simple statement fueled my love of the craft and a lifelong desire to be solely an entertainer and storyteller.  As I began to hone my skill and enjoy the process of doing shows such as Of Mice and Men, Scrooge, Romeo and Juliet and Oliver Twist, I found a place and family that understood a part of me that loved the stage.  David understood that artistic side of me and for that I loved him.  I will always cherish and carry those memories for the rest of my life.

That feeling returned when David and I reunited in 2010.  We met at my old high school where my daughter was attending and where David and his wife Judy Ewing (also a Guild member from the early days) were performing his signature show, "The Sandwalk". After an emotional reunion, he pitched the idea of a play about Carney to me.  I jumped at the chance to work with my mentor again and develop a character that I found so relatable.  We spent several months e-mailing and talking on the phone and myself taking a trip up to his home in Woodford, VT.  We had a workable script and performed the show at the two elementary schools in New Bedford, MA; one of them being Carney Academy for which after my character was named.

Please keep Judy in prayer for her well being-keep the Guild Players in prayer to continue and that I can create the type of legacy that will best honor him.

Take Care David.  We will miss you.

 Bruce Chester 

David Paul Simon 

(December 29, 1942 - May 20, 2012) 

David Paul Simon passed away May 20, 2012 at Southwestern Vermont Medical Canter after a valiant fight against a grave illness. David was born in North Adams, MA on December 29, 1942 to Marvin and Yvonne Simon. His childhood years were spent between North Adams and Woodford Lake Estates where as a boy he remembered cutting the main roads with his father. He had many fond memories of Woodford Lake and his companions there. David graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in North Adams. He attended Marlboro College before transferring to the former North Adams State College where he earned a bachelors degree on English Literature. Here he discovered his love for teaching and the performing arts. He taught English at North Adams High School and then English and History at Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington. In 1972 David left the formal teaching profession to start his own touring theater company, the Guild Players, with its emphasis on teaching young people through the dramatic arts. Eventually he bought and renovated and old church in Lunenburg, MA, converting it into a theater called the 50 Main Street Playhouse. He ran the theater there for ten years, earning many accolades for his directing, performing, set designs and lighting. During that period he won the 1982 Vermont State Playwright’s award for his play, The Sandwalk, about Charles and Emma Darwin. David also won The Aurand Harris Memorial Playwriting Award in 1998 for his play The Printer’s Devil about young Ben Franklin. The Guild Players then became exclusively a touring company, performing throughout New England for many years. David was a gifted creative artist. In addition to his plays he was an accomplished pen and ink illustrator, musician, and poet. He was a fan of the Phillies and Notre Dame and loved delta blues music. He was a devoted husband and father. David is survived by his wife Judith, his sons Matthew and Jonathan, step son Joseph Ewing and step daughter Erin Pynes, sister Maureen Higgins and husband Ron, sister Mary Chalifoux and family, brother Philip and wife Carol, nieces Kristin and Jillian Simon and Jennifer Sandquist, nephews Timothy Higgins and Patrick McQueeney, grand niece Tia Briere, and grandchildren Aidan, Jonathan, Yvonne, Gavin and Matthew. He also leaves extensive extended family on both the Simon and Brooks sides, in North Adams. David was predeceased by his parents Marvin and Yvonne Simon and brother Warren McClendon. There will be a private farewell with a memorial at a future date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Mahar and Son Funeral Home in Bennington. Guest book condolences may be made at www.maharandsonfuneralhome.net