Boyce Hampton Simpson died Friday, December 23, 2011 in Arlington, VA.
Born January 13, 1912, in Union County, NC, he was the third son of Temperance Mullis and Nathaniel Ruffin Simpson. At age 2, Boyce survived a lightning strike that killed his mother and aunt. He was raised by his father and stepmother Nancy Jane Drake Simpson. Boyce was the brother of Glenn, Leon, Judge, and N.R. Simpson, Jr., and Pauline Simpson Shields.
Boyce moved to Washington, DC, in 1935 and became a bus driver with Capital Transit. The first time he saw his future wife, Willie Jackson Hitt, riding his bus, he said that she was the woman he was going to marry. They married in 1938 at Chestnut Ridge Farm in Rixeyville, VA. Willie died in 1954.
Boyce was an auto mechanic who found success because of his skill as well as his warm personality. He owned his own service station whose motto matched his welcoming nature: “Where friends and neighbors meet.”
Boyce returned to Charlotte, NC in 1979. When asked about moving in his 60s, he explained that in addition to having family in the area, he had “friends there I haven’t even met yet.” He enjoyed spending time with his siblings, nephews and nieces, cousins, and neighbors. He returned to Northern Virginia in 1991 to care for his sisters-in-law and be near his children. For almost 8 years he lived at Culpepper Garden senior residence, where his friendships continued to be an important part of his life.
Boyce leaves behind two children, Robert Jackson Simpson and Florence Mildred Simpson Rogers, son-in-law Albert Rogers, grandchildren Catriona Elizabeth Rogers and her husband Terry Keating, and Margaret Lucille Rogers and her husband Richard Rouse, and great-grandchildren, Gillian Elizabeth Keating, and Katharine Charlotte and Malcolm Nathaniel Rouse. He is also survived by three generations of nieces and nephews and cousins.
A family burial will take place on December 27 at Chestnut Ridge Farm. There will be a memorial service in Arlington, VA on December 28.
Cemetery Details
Chestnut Ridge Cemetery
Rixeyville, VA,
http://www.foundandsons.com/obituaries/Boyce-Simpson/#/Obituary