Leonard David Simpson

Leonard David Simpson Clarksdale, MS.
Leonard David Simpson, 93, a retired Farm Mechanic, died April 25, 2025, at Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center. Visitation is Wednesday April 30,2025, 1:00pm - 2:00pm at Meredith Nowell Funeral Home in Clarksdale, MS. Funeral services are 2:00pm Wednesday April 30, 2025, at Meredith Nowell Funeral Home in Clarksdale, MS with burial in the Oakridge Cemetery. Meredith Nowell Funeral Home in Clarksdale, Mississippi is handling the arrangements. Survivors include his sons David Simpson, Hubert Simpson Sr. (Lisa); daughter Patricia Schad (Bruce); brothers Gilbert Simpson, Claude Simpson (Kathy); grandchildren Michael Ray Vaughn, Samuel Ray Vaughn, David Andrew Simpson, Hubert Edward Simpson Jr.; seven great grandchildren. Preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Melva Maurine Simpson; parents Harvey & Lennie Simpson; brothers William Simpson, Wilson Simpson, Donald Simpson, Freddie Simpson, Sammy Simpson; sisters Doris Simpson and Delcie Katherine Simpson; daughter-in-law Pamela Simpson. Leonard was born on February 12th, 1932, to Harvey and Lennie Simpson, a hard-working farm couple. He was the third child of what would grow to be a family of eight boys and one girl that lived to adulthood. Life was tough living in rural Tennessee. Leonard learned the meaning of work from a young age. Like any red-blooded American boy Leonard liked playing baseball with his friends. Like any red-blooded Southern boy growing up in the woods of East Tennessee he liked hunting and fishing. He also seemed even as a young boy to have a knack for building things both from wood and metal. He had some furniture for folk and carts from old mule drawn equipment for he and his friends to play on. They didn't have electricity until he was 14. His mother had a gasoline powered clothes washer. When they got electricity, he took the gas engine off of their old washing machine and managed to mount it on a bicycle. This would become a trait that he would be known for the rest of his life. Saying he was mechanically inclined would be an understatement. He dropped out of school at 16 to help his father work the farm. They were still farming with mules at the time. When he was 17, he met a young girl who was picking cotton with her mother. Her name was Melva Daly. An aunt later told him that the girl seemed to like him. A courtship began that would last a lifetime. He joined the Air Force at 19 during the Korean war. There he learned to weld and do metal work. He would build on those skills and use them for the rest of his life. He and Melva wrote to each other constantly. After leaving the Air Force, he returned home and began dating and later married Melva. He worked again on his father's farm. His father bought a farm of their own in Arkansas. They moved there and worked the farm for a few years. In 1956 heir daughter Patricia Ann was born and a year later a son named Leonard David (David). The family moved to Helena Arkansas then to Mississippi, eventually ending up in Lyon. In 1963 their son Hubert Edward was born. He was a firm but loving father. He worked long hours to provide for his family. Many times, working a full day at his regular job as a farm mechanic, come home and leave again to work several more hours to work on someone else's equipment for extra money. He worked for Heaton Farms for nearly 30 years. He once said that W.S. Heaton almost felt like a second father to him. He really respected him a great deal. After leaving Heaton, he started his own Ag equipment repair service. He didn't retire until he was a few months short of his 78th birthday when his wife of 56 years Melva passed away. They were in love for 60 years. Life changed in an instant, never to be the same as it often does. It was a hard time. Ruby Aderholt and Melva had been friends for over forty years. They became friends through their sons' friendship. Hubert and Audie. Melva and Ruby had become very close in the last years of Melva's life. Leonard and Ruby began seeing each other sometime after Melva's passing. He once again had companionship and happiness in his life. Leonard often said that God and Melva had brought he and Ruby together. They were together for the remaining years of her life until once again, bad health and death separated them. Religion played a big part in Leonard's life. He not only went to church but lived by what he believed. He went to church every week until his health declined, prohibiting him from going. Even after that he mailed money to churches to help support them. Family meant the most to Leonard. In recent years his health declined as well and he began living in a nursing home. While he missed not being active and able to do the many things he once could, what he missed the most was not being able to go and visit all the family members and friends that he once could. He is at peace now and visiting eternally with all that have gone before him, especially the love of his life Melva.