Longtime Eden Prairie resident remembered

In the 1950s, young Diane Dredge and her sister Carol would saddle up their horses in the summer and ride down the dusty roads of Eden Prairie to the Boyd farm on Duck Lake Trail, where Diane honed her riding skills for the highly anticipated annual Boyd Rodeo.

George and Ruby Boyd organized this community event, featuring local youth performing square dances on horseback, barrel races, and trick riding. Patsy Boyd, the oldest of the four Boyd daughters, served as the coordinator and trainer, keeping everyone in line and making the rodeo a beloved tradition in Eden Prairie.

“The rodeo was our whole summer,” recalled Carol Carlson, Diane’s sister. “We would leave every morning at about 9 and get home around 4 or 4:30 (p.m.). We brought our own lunch, and they would provide drinks. We worked all day preparing for the shows.”

Diane Simons, née Dredge, died on May 13 from injuries sustained in a car accident in Eden Prairie on May 1. She was 81.

Her family said Simons’ early years in Eden Prairie instilled in her a deep commitment to her community and a lifelong love for animals.

“From the moment she could walk and recognize what she was looking at, to her last breath, she was always very concerned and loving toward animals of all shapes and sizes,” said her granddaughter, Laura Miller.

Early life in Eden Prairie

Simons moved with her family to Eden Prairie as a child and spent most of her life there, witnessing the town’s transformation from a rural community to a bustling suburb.

“You could ride your horses all over,” Carlson said. “Every street, everything – it was a very different time.”

Simons bond with animals was extraordinary, particularly with her horse, King. “They would ride everywhere together, and every night he would make sure she got home safely,” Miller said. “She would fall asleep riding on his back, and he would bring her right to the front door.”

As an adult, Simons lived on the shores of Red Rock Lake, a place that held many cherished memories for her and her family.

“That was her favorite place to be,” Miller said, noting that Simons lived there until about six months ago when she moved into a townhome in Minnetonka.

The Boyd Rodeo

According to Marie Wittenberg’s book “Eden Prairie Pioneers,” the Boyd family organized a series of rodeos featuring local young people in the 1950s, forming a club called the “Rodeo Riders.” All the money raised from the rodeo was donated to charity.

Simons shared her memories of those days in the “Things I Remember” section of Helen Holden Anderson’s book, “Eden Prairie: The First 100 Years.”

“Each summer, a group of kids with riding horses would gather at the Boyd place to practice for a rodeo held in early September,” Simons wrote. “This tradition continued for years. I was about 8 years old when I started going, and it lasted until I graduated from high school.”

Wittenberg stated that the Boyd Rodeo became a highly anticipated event for nearly a decade. The performances were sometimes featured in clips on local TV news channels, and one performance even attracted 1,000 spectators.

Carlson participated in square dancing one year and acted as a clown in another show. Simons performed trick riding, square dancing, and barrel racing. According to Carlson, the rodeo held a couple of shows each summer, typically on weekends, with most of the Rodeo Riders’ time dedicated to practicing.

“We only charged 10 cents or whatever people wanted to pay, but we always made over $500, which I thought was pretty amazing,” Carlson remembered of the rodeo. “We gave the money to disadvantaged children.”

Other interests

Simons’ love for animals and community was complemented by her passion for music and involvement in local activities.

She graduated from Eden Prairie High School in 1960, where she was involved in cheerleading, choir, and band, playing the clarinet.

Miller shared a touching memory from her last choir concert during her senior year at EPHS in 2003.

“She came to watch, and during the final song, all the alumni of Eden Prairie High School were invited to join us on stage,” Miller recalled. “She stood right next to me and sang that final song with me, 43 years after she graduated. That was pretty special.”

Simons’ professional life included working as a secretary at the old Eden Prairie High School and then as a receptionist at various dental offices around town.

“Her personality was incredibly magnetic,” Miller said. “She thrived in front of people, and everyone would come back to have hour-long conversations with her while she sat at the front desk of the dental office.”

Miller remembers going to work with her a few times when she was younger or helping with filing during the summer.

“I would always think, ‘Do you know everybody?’ And she did – she knew everyone.”

Miller said that after her grandfather, Jim, died 19 years ago, her grandmother got two small white terrier-type mix dogs named Reno and Vegas. Vegas died a few years ago, and Reno had to be put down last month at the age of 18 due to what Miller described as old age and heartbreak.

“She got them about a year and a half after my grandfather passed, and they kept her going,” Miller said. “She needed them as much as they needed her.”

Family and legacy

A Celebration of Life open house for Diane Simons will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, at Homeward Hills Park Barn, 12000 Silverwood Drive, Eden Prairie.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim. She is survived by her three children, Beth, Dean, and Amy; seven grandchildren, Laura, Ryan, Kevin, Zach, Olivia, Tyler, and Holly; and three great-grandchildren, Sara, Hayleigh, and Aubrey.

Miller said she and her grandmother were very close. For as long as they can remember, they talked on the phone two or three times every week for at least an hour each time.

“She definitely made a big impression on me,” Miller said. “I have a big hole to fill with her not being here anymore. She was just amazing; I can’t say it enough. She was one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known in my entire life.”

Carlson, who also lives on Red Rock Lake, reflected on her sister.

“I’m always going to miss her,” Carlson said. “We were such good friends and did a lot of things together. She was a very special person to me.”