Joseph "Roy" Simpson

To Joseph "Roy" Simpson, the entire world was a stage. An expressive, optimistic, and uninhibited individual, he was a performer in the theater of life. To everyone around him, he seemed to be eternally happy, and he willingly shared that joy with anyone whose life he touched. For Roy, bringing out the best in any situation was as easy as offering a smile, a witty remark or the twinkle of an eye. And with just those simple gestures, he could evoke the most pleasant of emotions. Roy really mastered the art of living and had great fun in doing so.

Roy was born on February 11, 1940 in Toronto, Ontario. His parents were Emma and Bud Simpson. Even as a child, Roy had the ability to lift the spirits of all those around him. He was raised to be warm, caring and friendly. He couldn’t help but capture everyone’s attention. He was definitely a little bit of a show off, but in doing so, he succeeded in entertaining his entire family.

Always a good playmate, Roy was easygoing and fun loving. He managed to lighten the mood wherever he was, even during family squabbles. Due to a generous dose of common sense, Roy managed to find a satisfying solution to basic problems. Roy was raised with one brother, Doug.

Ask anyone who knew him from school and they would tell you that Roy was a class “cut-up.” He didn’t do it to be unkind or to garner all the attention. Rather, Roy simply enjoyed others’ laughter and the sounds of his friends and acquaintances having a good time. It could be said that for Roy, grades may not have been the most important thing to him, but he really did enjoy his school experience. Since experience was Roy's best teacher, he enjoyed hands-on learning and applying the “practical” approach to knowledge, rather than getting caught up in “theory.” Roy enjoyed some courses more than others, having favourite classes and teachers. His favourite classes in high school were Auto Shop and Drafting.

Roy never actually encountered a stranger in his dealings with people. He was drawn to individuals and crowds, using his gregarious, adaptable and outgoing personality to captivate his audience. This quality allowed Roy to continually develop new relationships, ever widening his circle of friends. Whether it was a story, a joke, a song or just plain fooling around, Roy (affectionately known as “Sam to his best friends) was always right at home putting on a show among his friends. Roy utilized his interest in others as a great way to connect with them. While growing up, some of his best friends were Bill Meyer, Chuck and Mike Lee which he stayed friends with throughout his life. Roy loved sharing life and having his home filled with people he knew.

The gift of being emotionally expressive and outwardly affectionate made Roy very easy to approach. This is what brought Roy and Shirley together. Shirley went to Roy’s Trailer lot and even though she had lots of questions for him about the trailer she was buying; he made the sale on the trailer and on himself. On July 8, 2001 Roy exchanged wedding vows with Shirley Crawford in Scarborough, Ontario.

Perhaps the reason Roy related so well to children was the fact that he never really completely grew up himself. The ability to be just a “kid at heart” helped him in raising his own children. Roy was blessed with two children, Dawn Morrison and Joe Simpson and two step-children, Brent and Craig Sophie. He was also blessed with six grandchildren, Taylor and James Alexander; Kyle and Brooke Sophie; Chloe and Rory Typert-Morrison. Roy had the ability to focus his attention on the present moment. If he was spending time with the kids, that’s where all of his attention was directed. Roy's compassionate side prevented him from being a strict disciplinarian, and he could turn just about any situation into a playful, learning experience. He could spend hours entertaining them with fun and creative play. In fact, Roy had a knack for turning some of those nasty old chores into games.

Roy enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. His favourite pursuits were golf, concerts and cars.

Roy felt excited and challenged by sports. Even if he wasn’t the best, Roy loved to participate and thoroughly enjoyed the competition and the pleasure of being around other people. Roy relished the opportunities where he could make an impact, and he would often push himself to play above his abilities. A quick thinker who understood the basics, Roy never seemed to get caught off guard, even when confronted with unexpected conflict. Recreational sports that Roy enjoyed included softball, golf and horseshoes. Roy was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favourite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were golf, hockey and baseball.

Roy had an endless appetite for new and different activities. He was always ready to join in the fun and add his flair and energy to an organization. Because of his personality, his humor, and his ability to get along with everyone, Roy's service was greatly valued by the organizations to which he belonged. Throughout his later years, Roy was an active member of the Rotary club in Richmond Hill, and the Men's golf league.

Living life in the fast lane suited Roy just fine. It is no surprise that he loved to travel and to visit new and different places. He was naturally curious about other parts of the world and loved the real life adventure that came from visiting them. He was impulsive and willing to try anything once. Favourite vacations included Hawaii and trips to the cottage.

Roy believed that you had to experience life, and his life in retirement was no different. When that day finally arrived in 2005, Roy took it in stride as one more way to have fun. His new life involved relocating to Lagoon City. With his boundless energy and a desire to get the most out of life, Roy remained busy with people and projects. In retirement, he found new pleasure in playing golf with friends. Even in retirement, Roy continued to stay in touch with his old friends and, since he'd never met a stranger, he made plenty of new acquaintances as well.

Roy passed away on February 8, 2020 at his home in Orillia, Ontario. He fought a long, brave battle against many forms of cancer. He is survived by his wife Shirley, children Dawn and Joe; Craig and Brent, his grandchildren Taylor and James, Kyle and Brooke, Chloe and Rory. Services were held at Oshawa Funeral Home.

Roy brought joy to all of those around him. He never had a mean bone in his body. He loved to have a good time and was an eternal optimist, always looking on the bright side of life. He loved to share his energy, wit, and his zest for all of his activities with his friends and family. Joseph "Roy" Simpson lived life to its fullest and made everyone around him happier just for knowing him. He will be remembered with a smile, always.

Hello, for those of you who may not know me, my name is Taylor and Roy was my Poppa. I am going to make this short and sweet because I’m not sure how I am even standing up here right now.

“All good things must come to an end”. My Poppa said this to me not too long ago. As difficult as it was for me to hear, I really think it needed to be said. He said it almost in a joking way and I got the idea that it was his way of saying that he was ready to go.

I know my Poppa wouldn’t want us to be sad. He would want us to remember him and keep him in our hearts while continuing with our lives and making the best out of every opportunity that comes our way.

To me he was the most encouraging person in the world and the glass was always half full.

As many of you already know, I work here. I remember when I first told my Poppa about my new career path, he was definitely shocked, as many people were. Once the idea settled in he told me how happy and proud he was of me for finding something that I am so passionate about. He was always asking me questions and he seemed genuinely interested in everything I had to say. That was my Poppa- my number one supporter. I definitely don’t think I would be the person I am today if it wasn’t for him.

One of the first memories I have of my Poppa was when I was a baby. I don’t remember this first hand obviously. I remember it because it has been talked about so much over the years and there are many pictures. When I was born, my mom was given 3 weeks off and then told she had to come back to work. My Poppa didn’t mess around and believed in hard work. So from the time I was 3 weeks old until I was 3 years old I was working with Mom and Poppa. We went to Harvey’s every morning for breakfast and then I had my own set up in the office at Leisure Stop. About a year and a half later my brother came along and the same thing happened for a little while until we finally went to daycare. To get to the point of this story, my Poppa helped raise us right from when we were babies. That is something that a lot of people wouldn’t do. Once we were a little older, Poppa and Gramma would take care of myself, James, Brooke and Kyle- taking us on adventures and vacations. So many of my early childhood memories are with Poppa and Gramma taking care of the 4 grandkids- I’m sure it wasn’t always easy, knowing the 4 of us but they always stuck it out with a smile and I am beyond grateful for that.

My Poppa was one of the strongest people I knew. No matter what was thrown his way- he handled it. A lot of credit needs to go to my Gramma as well because she was right there with him every step of the way.

This is by far the hardest thing I have ever gone through but I know I will be ok because he taught me how to be strong and how to persevere.

In school there were assignments and class discussions about who you believed was your role model. I never had to think twice. It always was and always will be my Poppa, sorry mom, no offence. I will always find strength in knowing everything that he went through and how he always had a brave face on with a smile. I think the world needs more of that and I will carry it on as best I can.

Life isn’t going to be the same without you here Poppa but I am going to do my best to continue to make you proud every single day. You were and will continue to be my hero forever.

So how do you describe someone as wonderful as my dad in a few minutes or even over the course of a half an hour or so…..well you don’t because you can’t.

Still Kate has done as outstanding a job as possible based on the thoughts and stories we shared with her earlier this week and has captured his essence remarkably.

And Taylor….well I’m not even going there because dad demanded this be a celebration and crying isn’t allowed…. Suffice to say he would be so incredibly proud.

The truth is we all know the person Roy was from our own experiences and memories, and all the words in the world could never completely do him justice.

But in keeping with this being a celebration of his life, there is one final story I would like to share about my dad that I believe sums him up well:

It was a few days prior to him passing and I believe the final day he was actually able to speak. Joe was at the house as he had been every day of dad’s final week when my husband Rob and I arrived. Shirley was getting herself a tea so the three of us headed upstairs to visit with him. Immediately when he saw Rob and I he started in on us because it was the middle of the day and we were supposed to be at work. I gave a dismissive wave and said ‘no worries, I’m retiring soon’ to which he replied without missing a beat, ‘yeah? so am I’. There was the slightest hesitation after which we were all laughing our asses off.

Now this is a bit awkward because when I wrote this I didn’t know 2 of my bosses and my good friend and colleague were going to be here. So just to be clear, the retiring comment was for my dad’s benefit so he wouldn’t think I was jeopardizing my job by being with him, and I’m not really retiring soon……ish.

Anyways, the point of the story was that that was dad in a nutshell. Even near the end and in spite of all the adversity he had faced over the last 15 years of his life he never complained and simply wanted all of us to be happy.

So in the spirit of his never ending optimism I’ll quote one of his favourite sayings and one I will try to continue to live by in his image no matter what comes my way – Onward and Upward!

* * * * * * * * * *

Joseph “Roy” Simpson

(Affectionately known by his childhood friends as Sam)

Peacefully at home, with loving family at his side, on Saturday February 8th, 2020, in his 80th year. Beloved husband to Shirley for 18 years. Loving father to Dawn (Rob), Joe (Angie) and step-father to Brent and Craig (Michelle). Cherished Poppa to Taylor and James, Kyle and Brooke (Brock), Chloe and Rory & Jaime, Dustin and Ashley. Predeceased by his first wife Sandra and his brother Douglas. Roy will be missed and lovingly remembered by his sister-in-law Wendy, his niece Tracy and his nephew Mark as well his brothers-in-law Ed (Kay) and Perly (Pat), sisters-in-law Helen and Merina and his many friends. A celebration of Roy’s life will be held at the OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street, West, on Friday February 14th, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. with visitation 1 hour prior to the service. As an expression of sympathy, donations to Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital or Toronto General Hospital will be appreciated by our family. Condolences – www.oshawafuneralhome.com