Late last night, Stuart Simen, a founding member of Neighborhood Council Valley Village Board of Directors, passed away. In 2003, along with Peter Sanchez, Breice Reiner, Ginny Hatfield and Jody Hidey, Stuart helped coordinate the application of Valley Village to be an official Neighborhood Council. He was also a long time Board member of the Valley Village Homeowners Association. Over the history of our NCVV Board, Stuart served as an elected member (elected four times) through 2008, and served for all 14 years as our Parliamentarian.
“From the day I met Stuart in 2003, until the last time I saw him, he always had ‘the cane’ ready to shake it at me if I didn’t do something the right way. But behind that stick was one of the most loving, dedicated and committed people I’ve ever known” said NCVV Board President Tony Braswell. “Stuart was fiercely defensive of our community and of his friends. Unless his illness kept him away, we could always count on Stuart to be there to help run the Board meeting, give input at a planning meeting, run the election, and help out with events in the park…he was always there for our community. This is a great loss, and Stuart will be dearly missed.”
NCVV Vice President Ginny Hatfield added “Stuart loved life and clung to it in the face of great physical pain; he was one of the bravest persons I knew. Through countless operations and medical procedures during the past half dozen years, he persevered and with very little outward complaints. He was devoted to Valley Village and volunteered his strength tirelessly to both the Homeowners Association and the Neighborhood Council. His presence will be sorely missed.”
Stuart grew up in Valley Village and lived in his home for most of his life. He owned and operated a freelance court-reporting agency. Stuart graduated from John Marshall High School, Los Angeles City College, and the Bryan College of Court Reporting. In a time well before modern electronic recording capabilities, Stuart was a much sought after stenographer and reporter, working for local and national politicians like Henry Kissinger. He was also a very talented figure skater who was named to the Olympic team for the 1960 games in Squaw Valley.
Services for Stuart will be held on Thursday, July 14, 2pm at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive.