Obituary of William B. Simpson

William Brown Simpson, 92, died November 25, 2009 at Fellowship Village, Liberty Corner, NJ, where he had lived since 1999. Prior to residence there, Bill and his wife, Mary, lived in Millington, Watchung and Pottersville for over forty-five years. Bill (or "WB," as he was often known), was born in Elizabeth, NJ on October 23, 1917, the third of four children of Charles and Helen Simpson. He attended Elizabeth public schools, the Pingry School and Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA. He married Mary Huber Shaffer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1941 and graduated from Lehigh University that same year. Their marriage lasted 64 years, until 2005, when Mary passed away. Since then, Bill has been cared for by Eric and Susan Murigu and the energetic staff at The Haven at Fellowship Village, who have worked tirelessly to ensure his comfort and well-being. Upon graduation from college, Bill entered officer's candidate school at Quantico, Virginia, where he was commissioned 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Marine Corps. As an officer in an engineer battalion, he led a company of soldiers through the Pacific campaigns of Bougainville, Guam, and Okinawa. He remained in the reserves after WWII and was reactivated during the Korean Conflict. After completion of his tour, Lt. Colonel Simpson resigned his commission and joined his father in the family business, Simpson and Brown Contracting Engineers, now of Cranford, NJ. He later became the company's president and remained in that position until he retired in 1992. Bill's lifelong passion was athletics. In college he was a top athlete and earned honors in swimming, football and tennis. He also excelled in basketball and squash. As the father of six sons he sought to instill the spirit of competition and fairness in his sons and their friends. Sports were always the main attraction at the Simpson house, where a tennis court, baseball/football field, swimming pool and "barn" basketball court attracted and entertained a generation of sports-minded boys and young men. "Wild Bill" as he was known to this younger generation would often participate in these games where his well known "tongue fold" was an immediate indication that the level of competition had been raised and physical contact was imminent. Bill also coached Pony League and Little League and was a troop leader in the Millington Boy Scout troop for several years. Bill is survived by his six sons: Charles R. Simpson and his wife, Mary Oplinger, of Kittery Point, Maine; James B. Simpson and his wife, Margaret, of Annandale, NJ; Robert C. Simpson of Binghamton, NY; John B. Simpson of Athens, GA; Richard S. Simpson and his wife Nanda Joshi of Watchung, NJ; and Thomas W.B. Simpson and his wife, Laura, of Gladstone, NJ. His grandchildren are: Thatcher, Christopher, Sara, Maia, William Brown II, John, Joshua, Jacob, Peter, Fredrik, Elizabeth, William Charles, and Leah. His great grandchildren are: Hunter, Hope, Maggie, Harper and Abigail. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, December 19, 2009 at Fellowship Hall, Fellowship Village, 8000 Fellowship Rd. Liberty Corner, NJ. Arrangements are by the Bailey Funeral Home of Peapack. www.baileyfuneral.com