Many archery in the Tennessee area knew Colene Simmons. She was a true traditional bow person who loved the sport. Sad to report that information posted elsewhere says she passed away last night. The trad community will miss her.

Too many of these threads. May the perpetual light of Christ shine on Colene's soul.

Will miss Colene,she was a friend.

Sorry to hear that John. Will keep prayers for the family.

That's a shame. Would talk to her at shoots every year.

Prayer for her family sent.

Prayers sent !

prayers sent

too many of us leaving lately

Prayers sent

Prayers for her Rest In Peace. And prayers for the family.

I met Colene several years ago at the Twin Oaks Classic, invited her to the Howard Hill Classic.

Watching Colene blow up balloons for the kids or make a PVC bow for a kid to shoot was always fun.

It's always a little sad when part of our traditional family passes on, we need to remember that when we see our friends at shoots we attend.

God Bless Colene

Terry Harris

Prayers for her family & friends, from the Pine Barrens of south Jersey.

Prayers sent

Terrible, I really hate to hear this. Terry is 100% right. She loved to see kids laugh and smile. She made my kids balloon after balloon. She never got tired, she just kept laughing and making different animals. John, was she sick? Do you know what happened to her?

prayers for her and family.

Someone posted on another site that she was quite a flint knapper. Didn't know her but sounds as though she was a great person and loved kids.

Prayers for her family.

A colorful lady with a colorful history. She will be missed.

RIP Colene !

will be missed

It's difficult to believe. Collen was a formidable foe and a valuable friend. She once gave Karen and I an industrial sewing machine just out of friendship. She also was very instamental in our starting our (EFA) bow quiver business. She was generous, creative, and very intelligent. Karen and I were just talking about how we had not seen Collen for awhile and wondering how she was doing. For those who did't know her, Collen was a Marine pilot, Delta pilot, once made a Primitive crossbow, and harvested several deer with a PCP pellet gun. She was someone that we admired and now pray for her precious soul. Thanks John.

Dang, I didn't know, Colene was a my friend and I feel a great loss, she was one of a kind and the most intellectually brilliant woman I ever met in spite of her humble nature. If you got her going she could quote great literary works of 14th and 15th century authors verbatim, her memory was incredible. She presented herself in two court cases because as she said" I know more about the law than the lawyers I spoke to", she won both.

Colene was a Marine cargo pilot during the Vietnam war, later a commercial pilot.

She had a bit of blarney in her so occasionally she might exaggerate a story or two. She told me she had won great sums of money shooting international trap as well as shooting pool.

Her generosity was legendary, she told me she kept several extra vehicles to loan or give to people in her neighborhood who were down on their luck and had lost theirs.

Colene was abandoned as a child and was raised in an orphanage in Ga and still excelled in life.

Here is Colene with a teardrop camper she made herself to travel to tournaments. Being an epileptic she wasn't supposed to drive but did cautiously, she might take 8 hours to make a 3 hour trip, stopping to rest frequently to make sure she didn't have a seizure.

RIP College, sounds like she had a great life and even a bigger heart. Prayers sent.

So so sad, RIP

May God bless.

Eric, thank you for sharing more of Colene's story, I appreciate it.

Terry Harris

Semper Fi Colene

RIP Colene.

I sure do remember her from meeting her at the ATAR rendezvous in WV. We usually camped near her. She was a most fascinating person. So sorry to learn of her passing.

Met her at Mojam. She camped next to Mudd and myself. She wanted to shoot her bow near camp. Mudd grabbed a target and said "here, shoot this". She did. Mudd had it in his had and was still walking! She surely was something. :)

prayers sent

Prayers sent

It was at the NC State shoot in Hickory that we first met Colene, but it was at ATAR that we became indebted to her. At the Alabama shoot several years later I was telling her about how I would like to harvest a deer with a PCP pellet gun. She got a sly grin on her face, and then said, "What would you say if I told you that I shot several deer this past season with a pellet gun?" Seeing possibly a little doubt, she said I'll show you the gun and headed for her vehicle. You can imagine the looks she got carrying a serious looking camoed gun with light,and lazer through a crowd of archers. It looked more like an assault rifle then a typical pellet gun. I was concerned that the park ranger might get freaked out. Well, she convinced me that she had really done what she said. Colene was a special person to many of us. Once you got through the crusty exterior, the person inside was sensitive, intelligent, creative, and generous to a fault. Thanks Colene, you are an inspiration.

So sad, she was a good friend and will be missed for sure. Pappy

So sad to hear this. I met Colene in WV at the ATAR. Unique individual. She was alway helpful very generous. Thoughts and prayers.

Colene's court cases;

One night at about 3am she heard noises in outside her house, fearing the worst she stepped outside with her rifle and found two guys vandalizing her house and spray painting obscenities. Fearing for her safety she plugged one of the guys in the gut to run them off.

It wasn't long until the law showed up and arrested Colene for attempted murder. She bonded out and went searching for a lawyer, after talking to several she decided she would represent herself.

She stated her case at the trial, the jury was out 2 minutes and returned with a not guilty verdict.

The perp, now wearing a permanent colostomy bag, decided the local jury had been prejudiced from knowing Colene. He filed a civil suit against Colene in Chattanooga many miles from where she lived.

Same thing, Colene talked to the local Chattanooga lawyers and decided to represent herself again.

Again Colne stated her case at the trial, this time the jury filed out but didn't return quickly. An hour passed, then another and another, Colene said she was getting really worried at this point.

After 6 hours the jury filed back in and returned a not guilty verdict. Colene had pulled it off again.

I guess we could all tell warm hearted Colene stories, perhaps this thread is a place to do so.

Here is how my wife and I met Colene for the first time;

We were at the Tn State shoot at Athens Tn many years ago when we first saw Colene the archer in action. From a distance we thought the group ahead of us were all guys from the way they were dressed. The course had a pig and a javelina on a wire that ran past the archer.

One of the group stepped up to the stake, yelled pull and proceed to drill both the pig and javelina as they zipped past. The rest of the group shouted "THAT GAL CAN SHOOT", that gal was Colene. All the rest of us were lucky to hit one animal that gal hit both of them.

After the supper on Saturday night the club gave out door prizes, Colene won a antler hafted flint knife, she walked over to my wife, handed it to her and said, "I don't need this, I can make my own and want you to have it".

We talked for awhile and I realized right off that Colene was a special person, we became friends that day and have been ever since.

Unfortunately my wife passed away, Colene's gift has occupied a place of honor above my workbench for all the years since we met her, right under my wife's state championship trophy plaque.

Eric, once at the WV ATAR, Karen and I ask Colene to attend the Sunday service there. She looked a little pained, but she did attend. After the service, she went to the minister and engaged in a spirited conversation about the content of his sermon. It was apparent that she had the skills and knowledge to be a successful lawyer. RIP Colene, our prayers are with you.

She was a spiritual person and probably the entire bible commented to memory. It would behoove a minister not to try to run stuff by her that was incorrect.

I truly wish I had met her. She sounds awesome. Rest In Peace....

Sounds like a special lady. Prayers sent.

I only met Colene once. I am glad I had that chance to meet her. I appreciate all the posts I feel like to got to know her a little better. rest in Peace Colene.

Bringing this back to the top. Coleen's passing is another reminder to cherish each minute we have with one another at shoots and gatherings. She was blessedly unique and I always enjoyed talking with her.

We shot together once and, of course, she outshot me handily. Sometime after we got back to the camping area she walked over and gave me a leather release of her design and make. It pinched down over the string and she said she used it to help with some form issues.

She'll be missed by many.

Very sad. Prayers for her family.

Prayers sent

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