Obituary of James "Grant" Simpson
Simpson, James "Grant"
On October 16, 2016, Grant passed away peacefully following a lengthy illness. At the time of his death, he was 74 years old. Born in 1942 in Petrolia, Ontario to Robert and Freida Simpson, Grant is survived by his second wife Jacqueline; children Melanie (Leo), Jamie, and Karen (Kiran) and grandchildren Isla and Emerson; siblings Kay (Lorne) and Sharon (Steve). Grant was very fond of Jacquie's children: Cheryl (Heather), Carole (Scott), Colin (Victoria), Julie (Scott), Jon, and their families. Grant was predeceased by his parents, siblings (Elizabeth, Lorne, and Carol), and first wife (Madelaine). His early years were spent on the family farm, surrounded by a large extended family who enjoyed Saturday night country dances and his mother's Sunday dinners together. He learned the value of hard work, which he passed on to his children, yet he also had many tales of escapades with his boyhood friends. Grant had a long and successful career with DuPont Canada, beginning right out of highschool. A proud graduate of Queen's University (B.Sc.1969), he and his young family enjoyed 4 company transfers (North Bay, Kingston, Maitland, North Bay, and Kingston) over the course of 34 years, garnering him the nickname "Suitcase Simpson". At the time of his retirement in 2004, Grant was Manager of Engineering Capital Projects at Kingston site. A passionate "DIY" guy, he was known to spend Saturday mornings at his favourite hardware store(s). There were always multiple projects on his mind and he was renowned for his exacting eye ("It's 1/8 of an inch off; we'd better fix it!"). Summer vacations were spent at the family cottage on the French River, where Grant could usually be found working on a project in the boathouse. The family extends warm thanks to the doctors and staff of Arbour Heights long-term care facility for the excellent care they gave Grant while he resided there. Now in the care of James Reid Funeral Chapel on John Counter Blvd in Kingston, a visitation and celebration of Grant's life will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2016 from 6 - 8pm, with a service to follow at 1pm on Sunday. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider making a charitable gift in Grant's memory to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada (Kingston) or to a charity of your choice.
