Simon De Dôdi Bilessi
MADISON–Simon De Dôdi Bilessi, 17, of Madison passed away tragically in the Town of Middleton, when he and two of his best friends, Evan Kratochwill and Jack Miller, were killed upon impact in a fiery car accident after being struck by another vehicle late Saturday night, on Oct. 2, 2021. They were pronounced dead on Oct. 3.
Though words cannot describe the pain we feel for the loss of these three young lives, we are grateful that Simon was not alone when he died. He was with people he loved and that loved him. Born on January 30, 2004, in Paris, France, Simon was the firstborn son of Aimé Franklin Bilessi and Alice Biyenga. He was the strength and hope for everything to his parents. At the age of 10, Simon left his family in France to live with his aunt and uncle and their three children in Raleigh, NC.
He came to a family whose son begged God and his parents for something they couldn’t give him, a baby brother. Immediately, he became the light in his new family. Not a cousin or nephew, Simon was embraced as a brother to Yemimah, John Levi, and Eunice, and a son to his parents Robert and Aline.
Simon previously attended Middleton High School prior to switching to Madison West High School where he was the captain of the soccer team. He was elected captain because his teammates saw his love, talent and dedication to soccer. He was a member of the Rush Soccer Club where he played since his family moved to Wisconsin in 2016. In the fall of 2021 before his passing, he joined Wisconsin FC and was going to play for them in spring 2022. He lived for soccer. On Simon’s last birthday when his mother asked him what he wanted in the future, he replied he wanted to play soccer at the University of Wisconsin and hopefully, one day, go pro. Simon liked Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and video games, had great fashion sense and he loved shoes and music. Simon was a joyful, charismatic, easygoing, charming, funny and handsome 17-year-old with a bright future.
Simon was looked up to and the hope of younger brothers, Samuel, Franklin, and Mont Fort, in France; he was a confidant to Eunice, a counselor to Yemimah, and John Levi’s prayed for little brother. Simon was a perfect gift. Simon will forever be missed by his parents, his siblings, and extended family and friends.
A funeral service for Simon was held at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2021 at High Point Church, 7702 Old Sauk Road in Madison. A public memorial service for Simon and the two other teenagers Evan Thomas Kratochwill and John "Jack" Miller, both of Middleton, was conducted on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 10, 2021 at the Performing Arts Center at Middleton High School.
