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B. Simpson Obituary
B. Mitchell "Tony" Simpson III, of Newport, R.I., passed away peacefully on May 9, 2019 at Spaulding Hospital in Cambridge, MA after complications from surgery. Tony was happily married to Wilma M. Simpson for 51 years.
Tony was born in Philadelphia, PA, to Marshall (Hall) Simpson and B. Mitchell Simpson II. He graduated with Honors from Colgate University with a BA then received his Law Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Subsequently, he entered the U.S. Navy and served honorably for twenty years on five ships including USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and USS Perry. During his distinguished service in the Navy, Tony received three degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University: Masters in Arts (MA), Masters in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) and a PhD with a dissertation focused on US-Franco Relations. He was a respected member of the faculty of the U.S. Naval War College from 1970-1977, retiring from active duty as a Lt. Commander. Upon retirement from the Navy, he continued his law career in private practice in Newport, R.I. and pursued his passion as a true academic and historian. Over the course of his notable career, he published many articles, several books, and other scholarly materials on naval strategy, history, and law. He dutifully continued to serve the community in a variety of ways including eight years on the Newport City Council, as Senior Warden of Trinity Church Newport, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Festa Italiana, and Trustee and Trustee Emeritus of The Pennfield School. From 2000-2018 he was a Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.
Tony is survived by his loving and devoted wife Wilma, cherished daughters Fiona and Isla, loyal sons-in-law Rob and Steven, and three beloved grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to either Trinity Church Landmark Preservation Fund, or Trinity Church – Trinity Serves, or The Pennfield School in Portsmouth, R.I.
Funeral services will be Saturday, June 29, at 11:00am in Trinity Church, Newport. Online tribute at www.memorialfuneralhome.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for B. Simpson
2 Entries
Brett Beaubien
May 15, 2019
Tony Simpson was always there with a warm smile, and a way about him that put everyone at ease - he was a joy to talk to and to learn from. As a student at RWU Law, I first met him when he acted as a judge while I was competing in my first law school moot court competition. After I graduated, I was able to sit next to him as a co-judge in future competitions. He offered me and so many other students incredibly valuable feedback and guidance.
I will always remember how much he loved going back to judge that yearly competition in the fall. Not just for one day, but for as many days as he was asked to help. Tony just smiled and did the job right. We should all strive to emulate his sunny presence.
Carl T. Bogus
May 15, 2019
Tony epitomized the expression "a gentleman and a a scholar." He carried himself with an old school dignity that will never go out of style. He had a passion for both history and the law, and was happiest when they converged. I think his particular hero was the early seventeenth century English jurist Sir Edward Coke, whose name - Tony would quickly inform the uninitiated - is pronounced "Cook." Tony always wore a smile, and you were never in his presence for long without hearing him chuckle. We were colleagues at the Roger Williams University School of Law. Some years ago, when I was working on a biography of William F. Buckley Jr., Tony invited me to give a talk about Buckley to a group to which Tony belonged at the Naval War College, and it was wonderful to see Tony that evening in what I thought was his real element.
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