Wanda J. Simpson’s middle name could have started with a “G,” her daughter said.
“She was a caregiver. Giver could have been her middle name,” said Ruth Ann Washam, one of Mrs. Simpson’s three children. “She went the extra mile to do all of the extra things for anybody. If somebody needed a helping hand, my mom was probably the first to arrive.”
Mrs. Simpson, 84, died Dec. 24, 2019. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 10 years ago, Ruth Ann said.
Mrs. Simpson was born Oct. 27, 1935, in Appleton, Ark. She was valedictorian of her senior class at Kewanee (Mo.) High School in 1954 and earned a degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University before beginning a 37-year teaching career in the Fox C-6 School District in 1957.
Most of her career was spent at Sherwood Elementary School, where she taught kindergarten and second grade, meanwhile earning a master’s degree in education from Webster University in 1979.
“Wanda was the epitome of a good, solid teacher,” said Karen Wright of south St. Louis County, who taught third grade at Sherwood when Mrs. Simpson was teaching second grade at the school.
“When parents came to an open house, they would always say, ‘Mrs. Wright, my son or daughter had Mrs. Simpson last year, and she was just fabulous.’ As a teacher following Wanda, I thought ‘Oh, my gosh, I will never be able to fill her shoes.’”
Mrs. Simpson met her husband, the late Richard A. Simpson, at Fox. He was a teacher and administrator at Fox for 42 years, serving one year as the district’s superintendent before his death in 2017.
The two were married Dec. 26, 1961.
“I always called Mr. Simpson and Wanda ‘Mr. and Mrs. Arnold,’ because they took such an active part in the community,” Wright said.
In addition to Ruth Ann, the Simpsons had another daughter, Leah Anne DeBold, and a son, Richard E. Simpson, eventually, nine grandchildren.
Mrs. Simpson was the ninth of 10 children, where perhaps the large family helped hone her maternal skills.
“She’s the best mom ever,” Leah Ann said.
Mrs. Simpson enjoyed traveling; New York City was one of her favorite destinations.
“We went to New York many times,” said her friend, Velda Burdin of Herculaneum, who taught at Senn-Thomas Middle School in the Dunklin R-5 School District and met Mrs. Simpson in 1993 when the two traveled with a group of area high school music students to Europe.
“We would go to plays and go out to dinner. We always went to Times Square and had a great time. New York City was a special place for both of us,” Burdin said. “She will be missed greatly.”
Shelby Alkire of south St. Louis County met Mrs. Simpson when Alkire was employed as a reading specialist in the Fox district.
Mrs. Simpson retired from Fox in 1999. She then taught English as a Second Language at South County Baptist Church, along with Shelby and her husband, Wes Alkire, a former Ridgewood Middle School principal.
Shelby said Mrs. Simpson searched for ways for students at Sherwood to get extra help with reading when they needed it.
“She and I worked out a plan that if there was a kid who needed help with their reading, they could come to my room for 10 minutes as soon as they got off the bus to work on reading skills,” Shelby said. “She was always doing things like that.”
Mrs. Simpson also did special things to connect with her family, like planting a tree at her Arnold home when each grandchild was born.
“When we sold (her parents’) property, we made sure each kid got a picture in front of their tree,” Ruth Ann said. “My mom always did those extra things to have memories with the kids. The trees are huge now.”
Mrs. Simpson served her community in numerous ways. She was a Girl Scout leader, a Cub Scout den leader, a Sunday School teacher and a Vacation Bible School teacher.
She was a member of the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA), Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators, the C-6 Educational Foundation, Friends of Jefferson County Library, Jefferson County University of Missouri Extension Board, Alpha Chi Omega, and St. Mark United Church of Christ in Arnold.
Mrs. Simpson was honored as Educator of the Year by the Rotary Club and received the Arnold Chamber of Commerce’s Don Earl Citizen of the Year Award for her community service.
“We will definitely miss her,” Ruth Ann said. “We treasure all of the memories that will live in our hearts forever. We look forward to seeing her in heaven one day. We are rejoicing that she is healed now, but we will miss her presence. She lit up the room when she came in.”
Donations can be made in Mrs. Simpson’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or the C-6 Educational Foundation.
“Life Story,” posted Saturdays on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.