simon couple.jpg

Louis and Beatrice Simon (Branchburg Funeral Home)

BRANCHBURG -- Funeral services will be held Saturday for Louis P. Simon Sr. and Beatrice "Betty" Simon, the elderly couple found beaten to death with an aluminum baseball bat in their Branchburg home last weekend.

Their grandson, Ezra Simon-Daniels, 20, was arrested Saturday and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He lived with his grandparents on Readington Road.

The couple, who were married for 45 years, are described in an obituary from Branchburg Funeral Home as engaging and family-oriented, doting on their four children and 11 grandchildren.



Louis P. Simon Sr., 78, was born in Hungary and immigrated to the United States in 1956, according to his obituary. He lived in Manhattan for 15 years before moving to Branchburg 39 years ago.

He was a self-employed engineer and inventor who specialized in the recycled plastics industry, in which he held multiple patents for machinery, materials and structures. Friends and colleagues referred to him as a "Mechanical Genius," according to his obituary.

Beatrice "Betty" Simon, 65, was born in Brooklyn and modeled with the Ford Modeling Agency in New York City for several years before moving to Branchburg. For the past 21 years, she worked for Verizon, according to her obituary.

Betty Simon was also a communicant with St. Ann R.C. Church, where she taught CCD for over 20 years.

Family was important to the couple, both of whom had engaging personalities and huge smiles, according to their obituaries. Betty loved to cook and host family gatherings. The couple enjoyed cruises, casinos and dinners and spending time with their children and grandchildren. They kept their home immaculate.

The couple is survived by two sons, Louis and his wife Suzan Simon of Oceanside California, and Paul and his wife Kathryn Simon of Flemington; two daughters, Erica and her husband Jason Vavrence of Lambertville, and Eva Simon of Flemington; and 11 grandchildren.

Memorial visitation will be held Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Branchburg Funeral Home, 910 US Highway 202 South, Branchburg.

Funeral services will start with a prayer at 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home on Saturday followed by a 10:30 a.m. funeral liturgy at St. Ann R.C. Church in Raritan. They will be buried at St. Bernard's Cemetery in Bridgewater.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.