Barbara Ellen Simpson's Obituary
Barbara Simpson went to meet her Saviour on Friday morning, May 17, 2013. Barbara Ellen Carpenter Simpson was born June 18, 1936 near Martinsville, Illinois; the daughter of Carl Carpenter and Florence Miller Carpenter. Barbara was the middle of five children in her family and is survived by sisters Arlene Lascelles (husband Virgil-deceased); Maxine Janney (husband Ron) and brother, William (Bill) Carpenter, all of Martinsville, Illinois. Her sister Margie Johnson (husband Ralph-deceased) preceded her in death, as did her parents. Barbara was the daughter of a Baptist preacher and as a "preacher's kid" was raised in church and was held to a higher standard by the other members of the congregation. In spite of this she enjoyed having fun and got into her share of mischief as a youngster. She spent many of her younger years living at Kilbourne, Illinois where her father pastored a church and she made many childhood friends while there that remain so today. Her family moved back to Martinsville where Barbara attended school, graduating from Martinsville High School in 1954. On November 12, 1954, she married Bernard (Bernie) Simpson and they remained equal partners and best friends through nearly 59 years of marriage until his death in February, 2013. They raised three children, Jerry Lee Simpson (wife Sue) of Effingham, Illinois; Danny Joe Simpson (wife Shellie) of Casey, Illinois; and Sally JoLee Reichert (husband Jason) of Martinsville, Illinois all of whom survive. Bernie and Barbara lived in a small apartment above the locker in Martinsville before moving into their current home in Martinsville which was built by her dad. Barbara was the ultimate mother--working tirelessly to help make ends meet, helping with the farming, driving a truck or tractor, helping load hogs -she even got a shock from an electric hog prod when a contrary hog wedged her up against the loading ramp. She always had time to play games with the kids and keep them entertained. She worked at a number of different jobs over the years including the phone company, CMT at Casey and even getting up early to work at the bakery at Casey-but not while she was raising her children. She took that job seriously and rarely did anything without the kids being along. Babysitters were virtually never used at Barb and Bernie's house and as the children got involved in sports and school activities she was always there supporting them. She was inventive in the kitchen, coming up with new concoctions that she would just make up using whatever ingredients were handy. The dishes that everyone liked would usually be different the next meal since there was no recipe but at the same time those that weren't favorites were no more likely to be repeated. She had a liking for the burnt piece of toast or the heel from the loaf of bread and seemed not to be hungry whenever there weren't enough pieces of pie for everyone--she was always willing to do without so the rest wouldn't have to. She raised vegetables in the garden and canned food to last through the winter. She made jellies and picked up persimmons and squeezed the pulp through a colander by hand to make the family persimmon pudding. Barbara was a self-trained seamstress and through necessity sewed shirts and pants and even suit jackets for the family. She cut the boys' hair and even gave them a permanentonce. She crocheted afghans, scarves and house slippers and gave her granddaughters Amy and Janel a different handmade doll every year for their birthday and grandson Jacob always received a blanket custom made just for him. Barbara was very creative and would always have a game or activity that the whole family looked forward to for every family gathering and occasionfrom having everyone make their own bunny from cotton balls for Easter to quizzes to try to guess which family member was being described by clues she had prepared for each one. Barbara was upbeat and cheerful-some people see the glass half empty while others see it half fullBarbara always saw the glass as overflowing. She was quick-witted and loved to good naturedly pester family and friendsand always had a response whatever the comment. She wrote personalized poems and verses for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas and was a prolific letter writer, often having more than one letter in the works at any given time. She was active in her church, serving as a Sunday School teacher, song leader, vacation Bible school director and volunteered to help anyone that needed help. She was a member at Island Grove Baptist Church but in her later years attended the Martinsville Bible church in town. Barbara treasured her family and was loved by her family and friends. She could be depended upon to offer help and encouragement. She was selfless and was always more focused on others than herself and was a blessing to all who knew her. She was the glue that held her family together. In addition to her siblings and children mentioned previously, Barbara is survived by three grandchildren, Amy Simpson (husband Derek Wright) of Taipei, Taiwan; and Janel and Jacob Reichert of Martinsville, Illinois. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at the Martinsville Bible Church with Bro. Billie Ray Ulrey officiating. Burial will follow in the Medsker Cemetery, rural Martinsville, IL. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Martinsville Bible Church, 509 E. Ridgelawn Rd., Martinsville, IL. Memorial donations may be made to the Island Grove Church, 8596 N. 1000th St., Martinsville, IL 62442 or the Martinsville Bible Church, 509 E. Ridgelawn Rd., Martinsville, IL 62442. To view the full obituary, send a condolence message, light a candle or post photos, visit www.greenwellfh.com. Greenwell Funeral Home of Martinsville, IL is in charge of the arrangements. SERVICES Visitation Tuesday, May 21, 2013 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Martinsville Bible Church 509 East Ridgelawn Road Martinsville, IL Service Wednesday, May 22, 2013 10:30 AM Martinsville Bible Church 509 East Ridgelawn Road Martinsville, IL
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