Rhoades Less Traveled:

Perhaps no one will ever know what caused Debra Simon to hang herself in her Harbor Island home Sept. 10.

Apparently, she had plenty of friends, lived a productive life and on top of it was very, very rich.

Friends say Simon, 53, embodied humility amid extravagance.

“She had the high sophistication side and could just take that all off and be one of the girls,” said Caren Lancona, who worked on the Miss Newport Beach pageant with Simon and had known her for eight years.

A quick editor’s note: In general, we don’t run stories about suicides, figuring a story will cause more pain to a family already suffering. The exceptions are if the person committed suicide in public or was a public figure. Simon was somewhat of a public figure.

There is a rub to the story: Simon was going through contentious divorce proceedings with her husband. For at least the past six or seven years, she visited her three children in New Jersey and, upon returning to Newport Beach’s exclusive Harbor Island community, appeared in court with her husband.

Well, about halfway through reading Simon’s story, I walked out of my office, took a seat in the newsroom and for some reason mentioned that my grandmother had committed suicide while going through rough and tumble times with her husband.

A reporter said “really?” Her grandmother killed herself.

Another reporter said his grandmother had killed herself.

We had an epidemic on our hands.

And being reporters, we asked the fourth person present whether his grandmother had committed suicide.

Finally, a reprieve. She hadn’t — and good for her.

No one can understand the inner torment that forces someone to take his or her life. I can only imagine how exquisitely uncomfortable and unbearable life must have been. I’ve never, contrary to popular opinion, considered it a selfish act.

In my own grandmother’s case, it was simply too much to bear to know that her husband was an infidel and that they probably didn’t have a future together.

But this column isn’t about my grandmother. It’s about Simon.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

BRADY RHOADES is the Daily Pilot’s editor. He may be reached at [email protected] or (714) 966-4607.