John D. Simpson, Jr.

John D. Simpson, Jr., 88, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 9, 2020. John was born in Wheeling, West Virginia to John D. and Cecyl (Sanney) Simpson on January 21, 1932. John’s early school years, alongside his sister, Jean, were in New Guinea and Australia. After graduating from Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia, he moved to Golden, Colorado to attend Colorado School of Mines graduating with a Professional Engineering Degree in Mining in December 1958. He met the love of his life, Carol (Mortimer) Simpson in Golden when he was sent to practice surveying residential land on the outskirts of town as part of his schooling. They were married December 21, 1953.
In January 1954, John was inducted into the United States Army serving in the Korean War, stationed at Fort Zama, Japan, as a Machine Accounting Specialist. John was honorably discharged on December 30, 1955 and transferred to the Army Reserve Colorado Military District for 4 years.
After graduating from CSM in 1959, John began his mining career in San Manuel, Arizona. In 1963, John and Carol with their 3 children moved to Red River, New Mexico, where John worked for Molybdenum Corporation of America in an underground mine. John became known for his fun on the ski hill and doing a pig roast in which he invited the entire town. In 1965, John and Carol decided to move to Fraser Lake, British Columbia where John accepted a position with Placer Development Ltd, at Endako Mines, one of North America’s largest molybdenum mines. John helped design and develop the open pit and oversee production as Chief Engineer.
The family had many wonderful years together in Fraser Lake hunting, camping, snow and water skiing. John spent many weekends and summers planning and exploring rivers and lakes in the B.C. interior with family and friends. Some of these included traversing the Nation Lakes by boat, Ootsa Lake by boat or float plane, and a summer trip starting at Fraser Lake going down the Nechako River, up Stuart River to Stuart Lake and onto Takla Lake in the Sockitome, his 24-foot river boat.  John also had a love for flying and owned a Super Cub that he flew into many lakes in the northern interior of B.C. John was always ready to take anyone and everyone who wanted to join him on his adventures of the wilderness. John persevered to see an indoor recreational complex built in Fraser Lake that brought the community together attending hockey games, figure skating and broomball events.
Because of his expertise in open pit mining, John was invited to spend 6 months in Torrelavega, Spain, to do a feasibility study to transition an underground mine to an open pit mine. Upon returning to North America in 1977, John and Carol moved to Chelan, Washington and started a new venture in Apple Orcharding. John and Carol retired from orcharding after 10 years and split their time between Hawaii and Battle Bay on the west coast of Vancouver Island.  Together they took up cycling, marathons, kayaking, camping, fishing, and surviving in style on rugged Vancouver Island. After becoming a certified tennis pro in his mid-sixties, John and Carol offered tennis lessons at Wapato Point in Manson and ran a family fun program for many summers. In December 2003, John and Carol with their son, Jay and Myrna, opened Big Pine Winery in Manson. Lots of visitors enjoyed many fun times at Big Pine, overlooking the north shore of Lake Chelan, and John was certainly a dynamic host listening to and telling lifelong stories. After selling the winery in 2007, John returned to his love of the ocean. One of his bucket list items in 2010, was to circumnavigate Vancouver Island on The Other Office, a boat belonging to his 2nd son, Chuck. Rounding Cape Scott was a dream come true for John.
During his last ten years, John enjoyed traveling to nearby states to see the lands and various landmarks. He returned to Colorado School of Mines in 2013 and walked the campus, visiting his old fraternity house and having a beer on the front porch of a neighboring fraternity with some young CSM students. Times had certainly changed but the hospitality of Mines had not!
In his final years, John  made the best of declining health by living in Selah, Washington  with his daughter, Penny and husband, Doug. That is when he met the DeLoza family. Rachel was a whirlwind of fresh air for John, introducing him to his many friends at the Harmon Center, VFW and American Legion and ensuring John had the utmost happiness in his final years. A heartfelt thank you goes to Rachel, Manuel and the entire DeLoza family!
John is preceded in death by his parents, John and Cecyl Simpson, Vancouver, B.C. and his granddaughter, Marisa Simpson, Victoria, B.C.
John is survived by his wife of 67 years, Carol, 3 children, Jay (Janiece) Simpson, Brewster, Washington, Chuck (Sylvia) Simpson, Victoria, B.C., Penny (Doug) McGrath, Selah, Washington, Myrna Simpson, Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, and his sister, Jean Anderson, Merritt, B.C. Grandchildren Dan (Jamie) Simpson, Jim (Dani) Simpson, Jennie (Dan) Grunert, Kyla (Scott) Rutherford, Travis (Chrissy) Simpson, Josh (Davannah) Simpson, Jordan (Anne) Simpson, Kelsey Simpson, Taylor Simpson, Micaela Simpson, Amanda (Brandon) Folk, Richard McGrath, Joel McGrath, and blessed with 22 great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews.
Per John’s wishes there will be no service. There will be a family gathering next summer on Lake Chelan to remember John. Donations may be made to your favorite charity. The Simpson Family also wish to thank Shaw and Sons as well as Brookside Funeral Homes and Crematory in Yakima.
When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure (Author Unknown)