Esther L. Simpson

1949 - 2026

Esther L. Simpson
Rodney, Michigan
10/20/1949 - 03/02/2026
Esther Lavina Simpson, 76, of Rodney, MI, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on March 2, 2026. She was born to David and Arvilla (Oisten) Kaylor at Allegan General Hospital, Allegan, MI, on October 20, 1949, and graduated with honors from Allegan High School with “the Class of ’67.”

She began her professional career at Ferris State University (then “College”) in 1974 as an entry-level clerk/typist in the Department of Nursing. She rose quickly through the ranks in various positions in the offices of Residential Life (Student Services/Housing), the Board of Trustees, and Charter Schools. While working full-time, maintaining a household, and helping to raise her then young children, she earned both associate and bachelor’s degrees from Ferris. During her 16-year tenure as Executive Assistant to the Board of Trustees, she developed and distributed materials for board and committee meetings that she attended as a recording secretary; represented the board and several standing and ad hoc committees; was a member of, and provided clerical assistance to, three presidential search teams; and was appointed to a Special Project Team as one of eight co-editors who gathered and compiled documents for “The Autobiography of Woodbridge N. Ferris” that was published in-house as part of the University’s sesquicentennial observance in 1995.

As Compliance Auditor/FSU Board Liaison for Charter Schools for 10 years, she frequently traveled throughout the state, often for days at a time, to attend the charter school academies’ board of directors’ meetings; advised and assisted administrative personnel with contractual obligations; and developed and presented annual seminars and training sessions for clerical staff. She also held an academic year assignment as Senior Advisor to the President of Bay Mills Community College while its board of directors established their Charter Schools Office and academies. She ended her 33 years of distinguished service to the University on June 30, 2007, and received certificates of recognition from the Michigan legislature and the FSU Board of Trustees, and beautifully engraved plaques from the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, the Michigan Council of Charter School Academies, Bay Mills Community College, and several charter schools throughout the state that she supervised and assisted. She credits much of her success with charter schools to her highly respected and outstanding mentor, Jimmie Rodgers, the schools’ director.

She is survived by her daughter, Connie (Robert) Jackson, and sons Eric (Michelle) Schlaack and Robin and Chad Simpson; sisters, Rebecca “Becky” (Russell) Deaton, and Mercedes (Roger) Greene, and “baby brother” Wesley Kaylor, whom she admired, respected, and loved dearly for many reasons; grandchildren, Kendall and Nathan Jackson, and Lily and Sheldon Simpson; and maternal aunts Carol (Leonard) Schaeffer and Gloria (Bruce) Hoyer, both of Allegan. She also leaves behind her very special friends and neighbors, the Adams family (Janet, Gary, and Matthew); “Miss Lana” and Tyler Blount; and Nicole and Craig Derby; all of whom, without question or hesitation, responded to her requests for help; and her beloved sisterhood with (the late) Nancy Arnot, Cathy Castagnier, Sue Fairbairn, and Maureen (Moe) Gaylord.

Esther was proceeded in death by her parents; in-laws, Floyd and Jeanne Simpson; brother, Daniel Kaylor; and her loving and devoted husband, Dale, who was the center of her universe for almost 40 years.

Cremation was entrusted to Daggett-Gilbert Funeral Home of Big Rapids and, per her final wishes, there will be no memorial service.

Memorial donations may be made to Ferris State University to the scholarship of donor’s choice.
To share a memory or leave a condolence with the family, please visit, www.daggettfuneral.com