Ms. Sandra Simpson

Sandra Simpson, 70, died Thursday, October 12th at Mission Hospital after a brief illness. The devoted daughter and only child of William H. "Bill" and Grace Glover Simpson, she was born March 3rd, 1947, and grew up in the quaint Crows Nest Cottage in the historic neighborhood of Albermarle Park, later purchasing nearby Fruit Tree Cottage where she lived the rest of her life. A 1965 graduate of Lee Edwards High School, she attended Peace College and earned her bachelors and masters degrees from UNC Chapel Hill. Her professional life as a counselor began at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Black Mountain, NC, in 1970. She retired after 37 years there. Sandra was a talented pianist from an early age. She never learned to read music because she could effortlessly play her own arrangement of a song after hearing it only once or twice. She was in great demand when a gathering of friends and family turned into a songfest. A sensitive and sentimental person, Sandra was deeply attached to the home, family, neighborhood, friends and pets which were part of her life story. The loss of any one of these was always deeply felt and hard to overcome. Greatly attuned to the welfare of all living things, she went to great lengths to protect the people she loved, her pets, and even her plants. As her parents got older and in need of care, she welcomed them into her home. Many of the later years of her life were devoted to providing her Dad with the comforts she felt he deserved. Shouldering alone the responsibilities of an only child, she sought to shelter him as he had once sheltered her. His loss at the age of 95 was the greatest she would face. For those of us who knew her well, Sandra leaves behind the memory of a unique personality which will endure. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by first cousins Peggy Simpson Reed and Jack Roberts. She is survived by her Asheville cousins Carol Simpson Rowe (Gary) and Glenda Patterson (Dan), first cousins Mark Garner (Holli) of Birmingham, AL, David Garner of New Orleans, LA, and Jon Garner of Tuscaloosa, AL, as well as numerous second and third cousins, lifelong friend Cherry Livengood, longtime friend and helper Ruby Banks, and many other friends who provided support throughout her illness. Graveside services will be held at Riverside Cemetery on Saturday, October 28th at 3 p.m. Following the ceremony, friends and neighbors who knew Sandra are cordially invited to join the family at the Manor Inn, 265 Charlotte Street. The gathering will be held in the 1898 Dining Room off the main lobby of the Inn. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Marypaws, PO Box 941, Leicester, NC 28748.

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Ms. Sandra Simpson

March 3, 1947 - October 12, 2017