Andrew Reilly Simpson

Andrew Reilly Simpson, April 29, 1968 – May 3, 2026, was born in Temple, Texas, to Riley and Mary (Mikki) Simpson. He lived in Copperas Cove nearly all of his life and attended First Baptist Church and Copperas Cove schools, graduating from CCHS in 1986. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Tarleton State University in 1992 and a Master of Science degree from Tarleton in 2004. In the years between his degrees, Andrew lost his eyesight and attended the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center in Austin and the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Antonio to help him adapt to his vision loss.

Andrew earned his Licensed Professional Counseling certification after serving as an intern in a variety of settings in the Copperas Cove/Killeen area, including at Hope Pregnancy Center, Central Texas College, Youth Services Bureau, and with some private practices. He continued to study and learn and in 2017 received the Braille Student of the Year Award at the Hadley School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Physical limitations did not hold Andrew back, and he was fearless about projects with power tools, ladders, tree trimming, weed eaters, and lawn mowers, usually to the consternation of his family. He reached out to others in the blind community to offer support and help with resources, and through his Hadley School connections knew students around the United States and in several other countries, including Mexico and China. He was adept at using a computer with talking software and truly adept at dictating long text messages on his iPhone!

Most important to Andrew was his relationship to Jesus Christ and sharing that with others. For a number of years he attended a New Beginnings Men’s Bible Study in Harker Heights and served with some of those men, as well as with some women, in a nursing home ministry and loved those Saturday morning meetings. He also attended the Copperas Cove First Baptist Church Men’s Bible Study at Little Tex on Thursdays and enjoyed the fellowship and the teaching, as well as breakfast, often with his personal peppers or hot sauce.

Andrew loved his Serving Seniors Connection Group at First Baptist and served as a member of the care team, always concerned to reach out to those needing help and happily volunteered others to help if he couldn’t do something. He loved the Bible and had memorized a great deal after losing his sight. Praying for others was tremendously important to Andrew; he prayed for everyone – for his friends at church, but also for anyone if he sensed a need; whether his Uber driver, the salesperson on the phone, or a patient down the hall, he would say, “can I pray for you?”

Andrew is survived by his mother Mary/Mikki Simpson, his brother Peter (Jennifer) Simpson, his sister Bronwyn/Toots Simpson, aunt Paula (Phillip) Morrow, and several well loved cousins. He is preceded in death by his father Riley Simpson, an infant sister Gracia, his paternal grandparents the Reverend Vernon and Genoa Simpson, his maternal grandparents Bill and Pauline Ladshaw, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Visitation will be held on May 7, 2026 from 1:00 PM Till 2:00 PM followed by his Celebration of Life in the Chapel of Crawford Bowers Funeral Home located at 211 W AVE B Copperas Cove, Texas. Interment will follow in the Copperas Cove City Cemetery

Memorials can be made to Missions at First Baptist Church Copperas Cove, 300 West Avenue B, Copperas Cove, TX 76522 or to Arctic Barnabas Ministries, 135 North Willow Street, Kenai, AK 99611.