Roy Simpson Obituary (1952 – 2022) – Memphis, TN
Preceding him in death was his sister, Martha Faye Simpson.
The survivors are his wife of 44 years, Barbara Moseley Simpson of Memphis, TN; his uncle Nelson Langford, Russellville, AR; his brother-in-law David Moseley (Dana), Russellville, AR; his niece Alana Moseley Graham (Taylor), Cabot, AR; his great-nephew Samuel Graham, Cabot, AR; his cousins Ruth Ann Simpson, Albuquerque, NM; Sid (Nan) Simpson, Beijing, IL; Jeff (Kristina) Simpson; Delavan, Illinois, and many other cousins and friends.
He was a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, was an avid amateur radio operator since 1967, a member of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and Amateur Radio Satellite Corporation. Al was the founding director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Memphis, where he was employed from 1990 to 2020. He successfully completed training in laboratory design, with an emphasis on health and safety considerations, at the Harvard School of Public Health. He was a Certified Hazardous Materials Handler, a Licensed Inspector for X-Ray Analytical Devices, was licensed by the State of Tennessee as a Radiation Safety Officer for several Radioactive Materials Licenses, and was a Certified Instructor of the Department of Radioactive Materials. ‘fire.
Al has served on the local Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Planning Committee; Institutional Biosafety Committee for Memphis VA Medical Center; and the FBI Memphis Office Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Explosives Task Force. He has also served on the UofM Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Policy Review Board, Compliance Board, Biosafety Committee, Chemical Hygiene Committee, Radiation Safety Committee , the Crisis Management Team – Operations Group and the Standing Security Committee.
In addition to his employment at UdeM, he has worked in the electronics industry as a quality engineer, taught physics and mathematics courses at the college level, and served as a volunteer firefighter.
On a personal note, Al was devoted to his wife Barbara, with whom he shared a passion for gardening. They grew a variety of vegetables as well as flowers and plants. Over the years, he has especially enjoyed collecting and cultivating different varieties of hostas. Al also shared his life with Miss Kitty, a black feline who wandered into their yard in the fall of 2010 and over time grew very attached to the sweet, kind man who loved him dearly. A regular practitioner, Al was active in Newman’s Sunday School class. Not only did he sometimes offer incisive wisdom on the lesson, but he could also elicit thunderous laughter with clever puns that rolled off his tongue.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 12, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Memphis, TN. Prior to the memorial service, a visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. at St. Luke’s. A private family burial will be held at a later date in Russellville, AR.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 480 South Highland, Memphis, TN 38111.
Published by The Daily Memphian on March 9, 2022.