Timothy Arthur Simpson

1955 - 2014

Timothy Arthur Simpson Feb. 10, 1955 - May 18, 2014 VANCOUVER, WA - Timothy Arthur Simpson, 59, of Vancouver, Washington, died Sunday May 18, 2014 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Tim was born February 10, 1955 at Backus Hospital in Norwich, to the late Charles and Marguerite Simpson of Canterbury. Although medical advice in the mid-fifties was still strongly tilted towards institutionalizing children with Down syndrome, this was not Charlie and Marguerite's choice. Tim grew up in Canterbury with his family. He attended school there, in Norwich, and finally as a day student at the Mansfield Training School. As an adult, Tim worked for many years at workshops both in Moosup and at the Putnam Regional Center. He started out living in a group home in Danielson. With the help of the Moosup Supported Living Program (Connecticut DMR), he eventually lived in his own apartment in Moosup. Tim retired from the Putnam workshop in 2006. He moved to southwest Washington state to be near his sister Judith and brother Stephen. He spent the last five years living at Afrodita's Lovely Family Home in Vancouver, Washington. Tim attended and was a member of Calvary Chapel in Canterbury for many years. Church-goers of the 1960s and 70s will especially remember his joyful and exuberant singing. During those years he also followed the music of singers such as Bobby Vinton and Tom Jones with great gusto. Over the years he enjoyed bowling, spending time in the Plainfield Pool, watching WWF and action movies, and travel. Meeting John Cena was a proud moment in his life. His favorite piece of trivia was knowing the name of every actor who had ever played James Bond. One of his favorite trips was to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Tim is survived by his sister Judith VanderSluis (Lane) of Battle Ground, Washington; his brothers Stephen Simpson Pickering (David) of Portland, Oregon; Paul Simpson (Deborah) of Pomfret and Mark Simpson (Karen) of Sioux City, Iowa. He also is survived by a large extended family, and many dear friends. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to The Arc of Quinebaug Valley (www.qvarc.org) or the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org). A reception of remembrance is planned for this fall on Saturday, September 27 from 2:00 - 3:30 P.M. at the Fellowship Hall of Calvary Chapel, 175 Westminster Road, Canterbury.