Roger Simon obit

Roger Simon

1948 - 2026

 He was not on the list.

Roger Simon, a retired political columnist and best-selling author, died Sept. 10, 2026, of pneumonia at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. He was 78.

Roger was a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1975 to 1984, giving voice to ordinary people in the finest newspaper tradition to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable (Illinois Gov. James "Big Jim" Thompson was a regular target). He wrote with grace, insight, and wit.

Sun-Times editor James Hoge assigned Roger to cover the 1976 presidential campaign, and he covered every presidential campaign and nominating convention for the next 40 years, interviewing every president from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama and warning in 2016 of the danger posed by Donald Trump. Along the way, he wrote four acclaimed campaign books. More than one reviewer called his work the best political book they had read. An earlier book, "Simon Says," featured a collection of Sun-Times columns; its title referred to his one-line rants and societal observations that were a reader favorite.

Roger received more than three dozen first-place awards and twice won the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award for Commentary. He is a three-time winner of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award, three-time winner of the Peter Lisagor Award from the Chicago Headline Club, eight-time recipient of the Page One Award from the Chicago Newspaper Guild, and recipient of a first-place national writing award from the National Association of Black Journalists. The Associated Press called his work "sensitive, relevant and written with understated elegance." He was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and the Illini Media Hall of Fame.

In addition to the Sun-Times, he worked for U.S. News & World Report, the Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg News, and City News Bureau of Chicago and was a columnist for the Waukegan News-Sun, Baltimore Sun, and Politico, from which he retired in January 2017. For more than 25 years, his column was syndicated by Creators Syndicate. Roger abided by what he called the columnists' credo: Sometimes in error, never in doubt.

Roger Mitchell Simon was born in Chicago on March 29, 1948, and received a B.A. degree in English from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where he wrote a column for the Daily Illini.

Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Marcia Kramer Simon, of Bethesda, MD; a sister, Lynne Copp (Al Wayne); sisters-in-law Darlene (Ray) Grossman and Sandy (Dan) Wiczer; seven nieces and nephews, and 10 grand-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a brother, Barry Simon, sister-in-law Donna Kramer, and a nephew.

Roger wrote that when he died, he wanted to be buried in Chicago so he could still be part of its politics. Burial (yes, in Chicago) will be private. A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Washington. Contributions may be made to your favorite charity. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com.