James K. Simpson, Jr.

James Knox Jr. passed away July 28, 2012 at St. Vincent’s Medical Center after a brief illness. He was born February 17, 1929 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Jacksonville to Dr. James Knox Simpson and Louise Sproull Simpson, and lived his entire life in Jacksonville. He attended the Bolles Military Academy and Robert E. Lee High School, followed by Florida Junior College. He was a devoted husband and father, enjoyed woodworking, and spent many summers and much time after retirement making improvements to the family vacation home in Montreat, North Carolina. He was a long-standing member of St. John’s Presbyterian Church where he served on both the Session and the Diaconate. He retired in 1992 from the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company in Jacksonville, after which he spent much of his time in Montreat and the western North Carolina area, boating, traveling and visiting his extended family. For the last two years, he was a resident at Sterling House of Merrimac, where he will be greatly missed by staff and residents. He was preceded in death by his wife of almost 60 years, Marjorie Wilson Simpson; his sisters, Anna Marie Simpson Knox and Louise Sproull Simpson Jr.; and his niece, Martha Annabelle Sproull Knox. He is survived by his children, James Knox Simpson III, MD (Jana Robinson), Pamela Simpson Hammond, Laura Simpson Lindholm (Kenneth Brian); grandchildren, Shannon Elizabeth Simpson MD, James Creswell Simpson, Daniel Graham Hammond, Kyle Richard Lindholm, Nicole Faith Lindholm; and his niece Rebecca Louise Knox. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 4, 2012 in the chapel at Oaklawn with interment following in the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to St. Vincent’s Medical Center Foundation, or to the Montreat Patrons Fund, c/o Montreat Conference Center, P.O. Box 969, Montreat, NC 28757. HARDAGE-GIDDENS, THE OAKLAWN CHAPEL, 4801 San Jose Blvd, is serving the family.