John Simpson(Tulia)

Tulia, Texas-John Nicholas Simpson, Jr., 87, passed away August 6, 2011, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, with his loving family by his side. Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 12, at First Presbyterian Church of Tulia, with Reverend Charles Davenport, former pastor of First Baptist Church of Tulia, officiating. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Cemetery under the direction of Kornerstone Funeral Directors of Tulia. Big John, as he was known in Swisher County, was born in Sterling City, Texas, on March 6, 1924, to John Nicholas and Virginia Katherine Stickley Simpson. He joined the U.S. Army in 1942 after graduating from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth. He served in the 165th Infantry Regiment of the 27th Infantry Division during World War II. His division made amphibious landings on Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Saipan in the Mariana Islands, and Okinawa, where he was wounded in action. He participated in the occupation of Japan before returning home in 1945. He attended college with the assistance of the GI Bill and graduated from Texas Tech University in 1949 with a degree in animal husbandry. Mr. Simpson moved to Tulia where he farmed for thirty-five years. He married Helen Rose McCasland in 1955 and raised two daughters. He was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church and served on the Tulia school board. Mr. Simpson was president of Simpson Realty in Fort Worth from 1985 until he retired in 1993. The Simpsons moved back to Tulia where they lived until moving to Grand Junction, Colorado, in 2006. Throughout the years, Big John remained a loyal Tulia Hornets fan and an avid supporter of Texas Tech Red Raiders football. A favorite activity was taking drives in the country to see cattle and crops. Another passion was an annual fly-fishing trip to Lake City, Colorado. Big John caught two trout there the week before he died. His parents, two sisters, a brother, and his wife, Helen, preceded Mr. Simpson in death. Survivors include his daughter, Camille Redding and husband Ken of Grand Junction, Colorado; daughter, Suzanne McClure and husband Mike of Vail, Colorado; sister-in-law, Dorothy Brown and husband Robert of Tulia; brother-in-law, Dr. Roy A. McCasland of Tulia; sister-in-law, Adele Simpson of Dripping Springs, Texas; cousin, Jackie McLennan of Fort Worth; four nieces, four nephews; granddaughters, Lillian Redding and Ava Redding of Grand Junction; and grandson, Scott McClure of Dallas. The family suggests memorial contributions to First Presbyterian Church, 113 N. Donley, Tulia, TX 79088; VFW Post 1798, 300 SE 2nd, Tulia, TX 79088; or the City of Tulia Fire Department, 201 N. Maxwell, Tulia, TX 79088.