Corbin Avery Simmons-Reimnitz

June 3, 1998 - February 5, 2022

Posted

Corbin passed away on Feb. 5, 2022, in Port Townsend, at the age of 23, due to an accidental overdose.

Corbin was born in Seattle on June 3, 1998. His first home was a cabin on Vashon Island. He moved to Port Townsend with his parents in December 1999. His parents experienced the greatest joy of their young lives raising Corbin. He was a beautiful baby, and an inquisitive and precocious child, who had a heart of gold.

Corbin was raised exploring the woods, fields, and beaches of Port Townsend. He enjoyed studying a wide variety of subjects at an early age. He was an amazing artist and translated all that he learned into drawings, maps, and various three-dimensional creations. He was a passionate observer of wildlife, and had a knack for spotting and identifying raptors, mammals, and songbirds of all kinds. Corbin loved the holidays and cherished his family’s many creative holiday traditions. He was an attentive and devoted brother to his little sister. He had a fabulous sense of humor.

Corbin attended kindergarten at Tomten Farm. He homeschooled throughout elementary school, attended the OCEAN program and Blue Heron Middle School, and graduated from Port Townsend High School in 2016. He had a brilliant mind and navigated academic challenges with ease.

As a teen, Corbin attended Patrick Jennings’ writer’s workshop for several years where he wrote prolifically, completing a fantasy novel titled “Matheo.” He also participated in Band Lab, founded by Daniel Molotsky at OCEAN, with mentorship by Tim Halpin. Corbin grew in his roles as a vocalist and keyboard player over the years and performed with his Band Lab family throughout Port Townsend. He and the band traveled to Guatemala when he was 16, with the Global Visionaries organization. Corbin loved tinkering with and building bikes, and biking around town with friends. He loved watching football, especially the Seahawks, and was able to retain stats, remember players, and explain rules and technicalities that most of the rest of us could not.

As an adult, Corbin worked in several Port Townsend restaurants and became a skilled cook. He especially loved working at the Old Whiskey Mill where he made many enduring friendships. In recent months, he enjoyed preparing amazing, multi-course meals for his family, to their delight. Corbin was always engaged in researching a variety of subjects. During the last few years, he turned his focus to history, politics, and policy.

Family was extremely important to Corbin. Throughout his life, he vacationed in New Hampshire and Maine, visiting his beloved relatives there. He cherished these visits and was looking forward to returning there this spring. He also cherished visiting and spending holidays with his beloved relatives on Vashon Island. Central to Corbin’s family were his pet dogs, a total of four Mexican rescues, with whom he shared a deeply heartfelt bond.

Corbin struggled throughout his life with depression and then later with drug use. His family did everything they could to support him through many difficult times. It was a tragic end to a beautiful life and his family is devastated. No words are adequate to describe the scope of their loss. Corbin’s parents and sister are incredibly proud of his courageous efforts to transform his life. He was deeply loved, and will be forever missed.

Corbin is survived by his parents, Jeanne Simmons and Gunter Reimnitz; his sister, Matia; his maternal grandmother, Regina Simmons; his paternal grandparents, Ilse and Hartmut Reimnitz; many aunts, uncles, and cousins, many good friends; and his dogs, Lucy and Pickle. Corbin was preceded in death by his grandfather, Edward Simmons; his uncle, Steven Simmons; and his canine soulmates, Oso and Arrow.

There will be a memorial for Corbin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, at the Palindrome, located at 1893 South Jacob Miller Road in Port Townsend. The memorial will be officiated by Corbin’s aunt, Unitarian Universalist Rev. Linda Simmons of Nantucket, Massachusetts.