Simone C. Chilton

Simone was born on January 30, 1936 and passed away on October 23, 2020.   She was the youngest of six siblings, born into a larger middle class family in Hanoi, Vietnam, where her father was an early French-trained lawyer within the colonial government system.  Simone attended both primary and secondary French schools in the Hanoi area of northern Vietnam. During the mid l950’s, as a practicing Catholic, she and her family chose to relocate to Saigon (Ho Chi Min City), So. Vietnam.  As a young lady, Simone exelled in her English speaking education during the later 1950’s and early 1960’s in both France and England.  Thereafter, she returned to Saigon in administrative, transitional roles and translating English in the newly emerging SE Asian petroleum industry.  Simone continued to work in Saigon until she was married on May 31, 1969 to Michael Chilton.  They spent the next six years in both Thailand and in Vietnam.  In April 29, 1975, they returned to the United States, choosing the Pacific Northwest as their permanent residence for the next forty five years.  Simone worked as an associate in the family's international specialty seed production and marketing enterprise business which became worldwide over the next twenty years.  She and her Vietnamese family enjoyed sharing their cultural and culinary delights with her very appreciative American family.  Simone is survived by her husband, Michael, son, Paul and grandson, Cole, Chad and Step granddaughters Britney Spores and Ashley Lande.