Doreen Simko
Doreen Simko passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2024, surrounded by loved ones in her Waitsfield home. Her life was defined by her dedication to family and friends, her passion for art and culture, a lifelong love of the water, and an adventuresome spirit which took her from Miltown, NJ, to Waitsfield, VT, and across six continents.
Doreen always had an eye for possibility coupled with practicality. When she met John “Jack” Simko in high school, she saw everything they could achieve together. In Doreen’s senior year at Douglas College, part of Rutgers University, the two wed. She taught high school math until the two decided to start a family. They had five children in six years. Together they ran a family floral business in NJ.
In addition to raising the kids, Doreen was civically active, serving as president of the League of Women Voters in New Jersey, leading a Girl Scout troop, teaching local kids swimming lessons, and even running for office. They bought a ski house in Warren, VT, in the early 1970s where great memories were made as a family. Doreen and Jack knew their next chapter of life and adventure would be centered around the Mad River Valley community.
In 1986, they purchased the historic Round Barn Farm, and through years of meticulous restoration, transformed the century-old dairy farm into a thriving inn and wedding destination in Waitsfield. In 1988, it was added to the National Registry of Historic Places.
Yet Doreen wasn’t content to just save the barn, she wanted to bring it new life. Blending her appreciation of the arts with The Valley’s thriving culture, Doreen founded the nonprofit Green Mountain Cultural Center in 1991. The Round Barn became a hub for art in The Valley, including the juried Art in the Round Barn show, the Green Mountain Photo Show, the Green Mountain Opera Festival, and many other visual and performing arts workshops. In its heyday under Doreen's tenure, the GMCC sponsored more than 180 days of programming per year.
It was Doreen that took the Opera Festival to new heights. Under her leadership, what began as a few performances at the Round Barn and Pitcher Inn, grew to be an internationally recognized opera festival. For over a decade, every June, opera luminaries from around the world flocked to The Valley for concerts, master classes, and a professionally staged opera at the Barre Opera House. Doreen was especially proud of the festival’s Emerging Artist Program, which cultivated opera’s next generation of stars within the Round Barn’s wooden walls.
Forever a swimmer, you could find Doreen swimming for miles at her beloved camp in Long Lake, NY, or at the Bridges’ pool. She also sang in the Mad River Chorale. A voracious reader, Doreen finished the New Yorker, Atlantic, and Economist every week, and was working her way through the Guardian’s Top 100 Books of All Time.
Doreen will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by her family and friends. She leaves behind her five children Diane, John, Michael, AnneMarie and Gregory, as well as 12 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Vermont Home Health and Hospice offered both her and Jack comfort and care in their final days. Her family invites you to a celebration of life at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, at the Round Barn, followed by a light reception.
