Rest in Peace, Trapper Art

I just received word that "Trapper Art" Simmerman has passed away. We are awaiting any additional information.

Please keep Art and his family and loved ones in your prayers. Art will be missed by many people here.
Patrice

Will do.

Dang, we lost a good one in Trapper Art. His family will be in our prayers.

So very sad to hear this, he will be greatly missed, rest in peace old friend.
My prayers are with his family, so sorry for your loss.

In our prayers

Sorry to hear this. Prayers sent. RIP Art.

Oh, no. Really hate to hear that. Art spent a lot of time with me at my first convention helping me pick out supplies.

Moosetrot

Very sorry to hear this.
Prayers sent.

Prayers sent.


Charlie

Yes Art did pass away early this morning. He was in the hospital for a few weeks now as his cancer returned. It was not going good so he went home where he wanted to pass in his log home with his dogs. Big loss to the trapping community. Sad day. Keep his family in your prayers during this difficult time. Adam

Will miss him. Quite the character. RIP

My condolences to you, Adam. Call me when you can.

Thanks,
Patrice

RIP Trapper Art.

Oh man...I'm so sad to hear this!

Prayers sent.
Enjoyed his videos

I happen across this on Trapper Art

http://www.northamericantrappers.com/art-simmerman/

Spent more than one night at Arts and set up in his garage and times in his yard for the district rendezvous.He gladly shared his space with a competing dealer,and I always appreciated this.It just went to show,the type of man Art was.
Rest well Art,
Tom

Dealt with him many times in the past buying and selling used traps at the U.P.conventions.Always fair,always looked forward to seeing him there.RIP

glad he went his way. prayers for all.

Condolences to the family, he knew a lot that has never been in print.

Prayers sent

Had a lot of dealings with Trapper Art. A really good man. He will be missed.
Prayers for his family.

Condolences to the family, may he rest in peace.

sad day,prayers for all that knew him.

Prayers for the family.

Prayers to the family

Sorry to hear this. A WI trapping community legend.

Brian

Prayers to his family. Art was truly a good man

So sad. Prayers to his family.

Condolences from Kansas, may the family find peace!

RIP Art...you’re up there with friends and family now.

Condolences to his friends and family

DANG....he was a great man, helped me out a bunch when I started

Trapper Art sure was a mainstay at a lot of the WTA Conventions both as a speaker and as a dealer. When he had the time, he was usually very busy, he was a wealth of knowledge and willingly shared with this pilgrim. He will be missed but not forgotten. RIP Art!

Chris

Art was a one-of-a-kind in our industry and will be missed.
May God welcome Art home.

Mark

Condolences to Art's family. Art was a huge proponent of trapping and trapper education. He was one of our Hall of Fame trappers and deservedly so. Donated a lot of traps and supplies for our young and beginning trappers and for our auctions etc. Always ready and willing to share his knowledge and tell a story or two. It was a pleasure to know and work with Trapper Art. Many of you may have stopped in at his headquarters west of Cornell. There was a lot of stuff in those bins and shelves and he knew where things were and how each of them worked. Dealt with a lot of used traps in his business career.

Bryce

A man that will be remembered for a long time.

Leaving a big set of shoes to fill.

Met him and Leo at one of Hank and Crystals events...down to earth hard working trappers.

truly a great person that believed in WTA .RIP Nute

RIP Art, another legend gone.

The first person my son and I ever bought traps from. And we kept going back to him. Great trapper and an even greater person.

RIP trapper

Art helped me out with several things over the years. His advice was always good. I will miss him.

RIP Trapper Art, thoughts and prayers to his family.

In reading that article he sounds like a man that a person would have been honored to have as a friend.

May God shine down on his family and friends.

B

Art supplied me with a lot of fish oil and Lures over the years. May you find that eternal Trapline. Prayers sent.

Prayers for the Family. RIP Trapper Art

RIP Art you will be missed

His was always one of the tables I would search out at the conventions he was always ready to talk and answer questions and provide insight, and if you ever watched one of his demos you knew that you were watching a master of his craft at work and one that not only was knowledgeable but was also able to pass a hat knowledge on to others and not all masters can do that

Good by Art you were a heck of a trapper

Being from the area he was a legend when I was a kid. Did business at his snowmobile shop, electrical, and trapping. Great man, family, prayers are sent. Very sorry to hear. Loss of a legend.

Sorry for all that knew him. Prayers for his family

Bought lot traps an supplies years back from him, how old was art

RIP

RIP Trapper Art.

I didn't know him but he sounds like a great guy, a true asset to the trapping community. Thanks to whoever posted the link to the article.

Was he a member here? I looked for his user name but couldn't find it.

Prayers sent.

Sent with prayers for friends and family.

So sad ,Art will be missed by all .He was always willing to share his knowledge with anyone . I enjoyed talking with him at the conventions. R I P Art .

Lugnut, Trapper Art was not a computer guy and was not on the site, although he knew of us and contributed to the Discretionary Fund. You may be interested to know that Adam Potaczek, who replied on here near the top of this thread, was mentored by Art and was chosen by Art to take over Art's business (Trapper Art's Supply) a few years back. Adam has worked side by side with Art at the conventions since then, but many didn't know that Adam owns the business. He is also top notch.

My condolences to his family and close friends. We've lost a couple trapping legends and truly great people in the last couple years with Leo Hoeft and now Art. Rest in peace.

RIP

Trapper

Thank you Patrice.

I used to sell ads for Texas Fur Trails and always enjoyed visiting with "Trapper Art" Big supporter of the trapping community. A good man.
Our last breath on earth is followed by our first breath in heaven!

God's speed, Sir .

P

rest in peace art......a true icon to our industry that will be greatly missed.

art was a great trapper, great man, always willing to help out anyone , He was a main stay at our convention for years, always willing to do demo's, an could talk trapping all day long with the kids

Sorry to hear.

Art will be missed by many, here is the visitation information for Thursday. https://www.leiserfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Arthur-Art--A-Simmerman?obId=18078134

RIP Art!

Mac

THE MAN sure is going too be missed,i remember after a demo at a u.p. convention on muskrat's and trapping in Dakota his muskrat lure sold out. he sure was a great man for the future of trapping.

Yes Art will surely be missed. It was great to see many trappers support at his visitation. His presence in the trapping world and how he helped the Associations was second to none. A great friend and one of a kind I will never forget. Rest in peace old buddy.

This post has me digging through my instructional VHS tapes. Is this the trapper Art that has a video in which he shows a system of dispatching a fox were he tweeks his hip good? His wife was videoing. Have several VHS of his. One of the few reasons I keep a VHS player! Some of the few VHS tapes I have not thrown out because I have not replaced with dvd yet. The stuff I was watching when I learned to trap.

Everybody I know that traps, hunts or is an outdoorsman around here knows art. I was lucky enough to talk a little with him and really admired his accomplishments and character. Always liked seeing some of the old pictures he had on the wall in his shop when I stopped in. Adam was/is also great to talk & deal with and continues to make the same great lures, baits and products that art did. Prayers to the family, Rest easy Art.

He was a true icon. He did so much for the industry.
His advice on how to use his Nitro lure is how I got my 1st fisher. He was so helpful. And who could forget his great demos

I remember when he once made something out of a coon hide & donated it to the WTA auction. It brought some good $ at the auction.

I'm glad Adam is carrying on Art's tradition. Adam is a standup guy.

Grieved by the news of Art's passing, enjoyed meeting him years ago at a convention and bought some gear off him a time or two.

What a great read. Great man.

Heartfelt prayers.

Sorry to hear of this. I really liked his lure and business. RIP Art.

Very sad news indeed. I remember meeting Art when we would set up at the UP Conventions in Michigan over 30 years ago. He would be there with his first wife Alice. He owned and operated several successful businesses and was a wealth of information for someone like me who was just getting started. He was a generous and giving man, very good trapper, no matter what the species. Always had his dogs with him, he loved those dogs. He was a worker, and in his younger days would have been hard to keep up with.

We have been going to the Wisconsin State Convention for over 30 years, always looked forward to seeing Art. I would always have a good visit with him.

He was a master lure maker, whenever I had a lure related question from a customer or whatever, I could call up Art and he would have the answer.

For a number of years he would do a demo with Leo Hoeft, it was always the main demo of the weekend, standing room only, a true testament to the knowledge that Art and Leo were willing to share.

I would guess that for a number of years Art bought and sold more used traps than anyone in the country.

Knowing Art would shake his head at anyone making a fuss over him, his passing leaves a void that can't be filled, The Wisconsin Convention won't be the same without him making the rounds, with his dogs close behind.

Adam will carry on the tradition, and is doing a excellent job with the lure business. Great guy to do business with.

Prayers sent.