RICHARD SIMPSON

He was the first-born child and only son of Mary Margaret Pollock and William T. Simpson.

A graduate of St. Clairsville High School, class of 1943, he enlisted in the United States Army on 4/4/44. He served in Germany and was honorably discharged on June 16, 1946 after the end of World War 2.

Upon his return he attended The Ohio State University while working summers on his parents’ dairy farm. He graduated from OSU on June 9, 1950 with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the School of Agriculture. He then began his lifelong career working for electric cooperatives, starting at Belmont Electric near St. Clairsville, OH where he met his wife, Vivian Higginbotham. They were married on October 3, 1953 and moved to Greenville, OH where he worked for Darke County Rural Electric for 36 years and served as manager for 22 years.

During his years in Greenville, he and Vivian had 4 children. In 1997 they moved to Pickerington, OH to be close to their daughter, Marsha and her family. Most recently he has resided in assisted living near his daughter, Rhonda, in Beavercreek, OH.

Preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Vivian Simpson, on Jan 28, 2011, Richard is survived by his sisters, Mary Jo McCoy of Tappan Lake, OH and Grace Clements of Encinitas, California. His sister, Carolyn Addy of Tappan Lake passed away in 2015.

Also survived by his four children, their spouses and their children: daughter, Marsha Young (Brooks) of Canal Winchester, OH and children, Taylor, Mason (Samantha Manring), Hunter (Molly Schoonover) and Marielle; son, Jeff Simpson (Karen) of Mountain View, CA and children, Sophie and Max; daughter, Rhonda Berger (Tony) of Beavercreek, OH and children, Bijayta (Kenny Parzgnat) and Felicia (Nick Vargo); son, Gregory (Karen) of Loveland, OH and children, Bridget and Jason.

He loved looking at photos and videos of his great-grandchildren, Aubrey and Charlotte (Taylor’s), Nolan (Bijayta’s), Remy and Reece (Mason’s).

Grandpa took great pride in his family and their accomplishments. He was the keeper of history, dates and license plate numbers for the family and is irreplaceable and will be missed by all.

A memorial service will be held at a later date due to the Pandemic. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project(www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or a charity of one’s choice