Charles and Hazel Simpson

Hazel "JoAnn" Simpson and her husband, Charles, passed away in 2024 in Ocoee, FL. Below are each of their obituaries. The family is going to have a visitation on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 11:00 am at Geiple-Predicce Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc., 53 Main St., Glen Rock, PA. Following the visitation, a brief graveside service will be held at Trinity UCC Cemetery in Glen Rock.

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Hazel "JoAnn" Simpson, age 89 of Ocoee, Florida passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, March 30th, 2024 with her beloved husband and family members by her side. She was born on July 19th, 1934 in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

JoAnn graduated from Harrisburg Hospital's School of Nursing in 1956 as a registered nurse. She was employed there for six months prior to moving to Liverpool, New York, in 1958 after meeting and marrying Charles Simpson.

During the next ten years, JoAnn worked as a volunteer for the American Red Cross, served as a founder and board member of the Liverpool Community Nursery School and worked as a registered nurse at Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, while raising her own family.

In 1978, JoAnn entered the field of early childhood education at Huntington Family Center as a teacher. She worked there until 1980 when she was appointed head teacher and site supervisor at County North Children's Center at Radisson. She remained at the Children's Center until 1981, when she was named head teacher at the Plymouth Infant's Center. JoAnn worked at the Plymouth Day Care Center as the financial administrator, while also working as a consultant to Loretto's Intergenerational Child Day Care Center, and attending Empire State College where she received a Bachelor's degree in the Human Resources Program. In 1985 she was named the director of Loretto Geriatric Center's Intergenerational Child Day Care Center, working with staff and parents to coordinate in-service education and child care.

After retiring, she and Charles remained in Liverpool and spent time traveling the world together to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, Hawaii and the Panama Canal. For several years they spent winters in Sanibel Island Florida where many family memories were made. In 2005 they moved to Ocoee to be near their new grandson.

Her greatest passion was spending time with her loving husband and family, and the joy it brought to her when they could be together, even while living across the country or miles away.

JoAnn is survived by her loving husband of 67 years, Charles; her daughters Jeryl Simpson (Bill Leahey Jr), Linda (Geordie) Magee; her sons Gregory (Suzanne) Simpson and Brian (Annaliese) Simpson. She is also survived by her grandchildren Amanda (Brian) Carpenter, Kaitlin Magee and Caden Simpson.

A special thanks to her loving caregivers Sophie and Paulette and the staff at Gentiva and Vitas Hospice for the care provided.

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Charles Granville Simpson passed away peacefully in Ocoee, FL on September 18, 2024 with family by his side. He was born on February 13, 1933 and grew up in Glen Rock, PA, a small railroad town. His father worked for the railroad and as a little boy Charlie enjoyed accompanying his dad on trips along the railroad to inspect the tracks. He also enjoyed traveling on the railroad with his parents in the 1930s and '40s to places such as New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami. He lost his father in a tragic accident when he was 15. This led him to become more spiritual and, eventually, to delivering Sunday school and church sermons to cope with the grief.

Charlie graduated valedictorian of his Glen Rock High School class. He worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad for a short time until attending Penn State University and earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1955. In 1956 to 1957 he attended MIT but left to begin a career at General Electric and raise a family in Liverpool, NY. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from Syracuse University in 1965.

He was introduced to his beloved wife Hazel JoAnn Black in 1956 by a couple who knew them both. After a brief courtship, predominantly by mail, they married in December 1956 in Alexandria, VA. Charlie and JoAnn were long-time residents of Liverpool, where they raised their four children. He worked for many years in the sonar and radar divisions at General Electric, Martin Marietta, and Lockhead Martin. Charlie worked on, among other things, sonar and combat systems for naval submarines. His work with the military took him to such places as San Diego and White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. He also continued to serve as a part-time minister into the early 1970s, delivering sermons at Presbyterian churches throughout Central New York.

In retirement, Charlie and JoAnn enjoyed traveling to such places as England, France, Germany, the Panama Canal, Alaska, New Zealand, and Australia. In 1997, they purchased a condominium on Sanibel Island, FL, where they lived during the winters. Charlie was dedicated to working with the residents of his homeowners' association to improve their community, serving as president of the association until 2005 when they became full-time residents of Ocoee, FL to be near their youngest grandchild.

Charlie was a devoted husband and father and was dedicated to taking care of his wife, to whom he was married for 67 years, for the last 5 years of her life when she was bed ridden. JoAnn pre-deceased Charlie by six months. The loss was devasting to him. Charlie is survived by his daughters Jeryl Simpson (Bill Leahey Jr) and Linda (Geordie) Magee, his sons Gregory (Suzanne) Simpson and Brian Simpson (Annaliese Cassarino). He is also survived by his grandchildren Amanda (Brian) Carpenter, Kaitlin Magee, and Caden Simpson.

A special thanks to all the caregivers and staff at Inspired Living in Ocoee, and to the nurses and home health aides at Gentiva Hospice.