Richard J. Simpson passed away on January 16, 2019 at 9:22 am at Amber Glen Alzheimer’s Care Facility in Urbana, Illinois.
He was born on June 13, 1943 to Frank and Dorothy (Frey) Simpson in Delta, Colorado. He married Ramona (Henne) Simpson on September 11, 1966 in Littleton, Colorado.
As a child Richard grew up all across the United States, including Hawaii, while his Father was a Construction Superintendent. After high school he also did underground construction in Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming. After moving to Illinois in 1969 he worked for Holmes Brothers, in Danville, IL as an apprentice machinist. He later worked at Coeval, Inc. and worked his way up from a warehouse worker to Plant Supervisor. He worked there for 27 ½ years. He later worked as an over-the-road truck driver. He loved being able to drive and see the country. Richard enlisted in the US Army on March16, 1964. He served in Germany and Vietnam. He reached the rank of E5 and was honorably discharged on July 22, 1969, in Ft. Lewis, WA.
Richard’s hobbies included reading woodworking magazines, making wooden pens and pencils and small toys. He enjoyed telling stories of growing up with his siblings traveling, One of his favorite stories was of he and his brother floating their father’s VW Bug across the Colorado River. When a friend asked his father if he knew if the car would float, as advertised the boys said yes since they had done it. He loved his family and grandchildren.
Although he lived in a variety of cities across the United States he made his home, with his beloved wife, Ramona, of 52 years in Collison, IL along with their children Richard J, Jr (Dona Martin), Rossville; James (Melody Serrano) Riverview, FL; Gregory, Collison; and Kathy (Kyle) Lyons, Homer. Grandchildren; Ian, Heather, Meghan and Anthony (AJ) Simpson; Ethan, Isaac and Adam Lyons. He has a sister, Sandra (Kenneth) Morain of Grain Valley, MO and a brother Allen (Frances) Simpson of Gotebo, OK and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Shirley (John) Wright.
A Celebration of Richard Simpson’s Life will be at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 22, 2019, at Collison United Methodist Church, with Pastor Sally Swaim officiating. He will be laid to rest following the service in Collison Cemetery, with full military honors. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday, at Blurton Funeral Home, in Potomac. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Research. Special Thanks to the staff of Amber Glen Alzheimer’s Care, Urbana, IL. The family has entrusted the Blurton Funeral Home to assist them in honoring Richard’s life. Memories or photos may be shared with the family on his everlasting memorial page at: www.BlurtonFuneralHomes.com.
