Celebrate Life: Robert (Bob) Simpson

Description

From Gary De Carolis:

Five words that describe Bob: Honest, Respectable, Hardworking, Congenial and Thoughtful.

Born on January 25th 1936, Robert Burns anniversary, in the second room of his great grandmother's two room and kitchen home. In those days the doctor made house calls. Bob's parents were going to call him Robert Burns Simpson, honouring his grandfather on his mother's side, but decided that might sound like they were suggesting some link to the Poet. Early memory of Bob's great grandmother was that she enjoyed having him bouncing around at the bottom of her bed. She was bedridden.

On January 26th 1939, Bob got a younger brother, Johnny, and his parents, Robert and Margaret, had a ginger nut and a blond separated by three years and one day. War was declared on September of that year and in 1940, Dad had to go into the army, leaving Mum to raise two young children on the meagre pittance that was allowed to her by His Majesty's government. She had to take some kind of job and was fortunate enough to find work at the local Empire Theatre [movie house]. When Bob and his brother were a little older they could go the pictures [movies] free. Bob went to Glengowan Primary School where he lapped up every morsel of knowledge the teachers gave him and earned the Dux Medal on graduating. It was in those years that he developed a love of football [Soccer] and played on the school team and anywhere else he could. Dad surprised him with a pair of football boots and a size 2 ball and all the kids in the neighbourhood suddenly appeared. It was great fun. From dawn to dusk they played football, with an old tennis ball til he got the proper ball.

At age 11 Bob went to high school, Larkhall Academy, and started preparing to be a teacher, taking English, French, Latin, Science, Math, History, and Geography with a couple of classes in Music and Gym thrown in for good measure. He was awarded the Memorial medal after his 3rd year, but then he discovered girls - in particular the Lovely Isobel - whom he met when they both were doing a Kinderspiel at Chalmers Church. She had just come back from 9 months in the USA living with her Aunt in Miami, and also in NY state at a hotel there where they worked the summers. Her good looks and slight American drawl captivated Bob and he married her in June, 1957.

From November '55 til November '57, Bob was in the RAF doing his service duty. He quite enjoyed those two years. The camaraderie was good and, of course, they all played football as much as possible. Bob also took up golf. He was never outstanding in either sport but they are still with him as he watches on TV and plays an occasional round. He can't run like he used to and so football is now spectator only.

After doing 3 Kinderspiels he joined the Drama club and did one-act plays and joined the church choir, singing tenor there til he came to the States in '61. In his final year of College he did "Midsummer Night's Dream", playing Lysander.

With Isobel having seen the US and having family here, the couple decided to emigrate and came here in 1961, with Bob prepared to take a teaching position. The Principal at East Brunswick wasn't looking for an English teacher, Bob's major, but needed a Math teacher, one of his minors, and wanted to expose the students to as many cultures as he could. A Jamaican teaching Spanish, a German teaching what else, and a Scot teaching Math. Since Bob hadn't trained as a Math teacher it was heavy going for a while, but he was doing 8th and 9th grade general math so he soon got the hang of things and teaching was fun. Firstly off orientation he met Whitey Waldov and Leon Florek, the soccer coaches. He remembers Whitey said "Get a crew cut and shave close and we'll put you on the team". Bob looked like a High School senior.

He enjoyed teaching in the 60s and in '70-'71 was given a sabbatical and went to England where he filmed goalkeeping training sessions and paid the bills teaching at a girls' school. Returning to the States in the late summer, Bob continued to teach til 1978. By that time he and his wife were tired of the NJ humidity and winter snow, not to mention how crowded their home area had become, and wanted to see the west coast so they left and headed west, stopping in NM to visit friends. The west coast was too expensive so they ended up in NM where Bob worked in sales until retirement. They didn't need Math teachers when he got there, and required that all teachers took NM history (Why? Bob doesn't know).

Bob likes being retired and not having to punch a clock every day and prepare lessons and correct papers at night, but he also misses students. Being with the young kept him young and challenged him to improve his mind.

Bob has three children. Heather, who was an actress/singer back East with different groups, but it was hand-to-mouth and she gave up and came back to NM where she works for Hallmark. Sean, who was not challenged at High School, dropped out and never completed his senior year. However, he aced the entrance exam to UNM and studied there, transferring to NJ and graduating Magna Cum Laude. He is a computer wiz working for Scripps in Berkeley, CA. The youngest one, Fiona, took up cosmetology and had her own business in Salado, TX til work on the interstate discouraged people from visiting the touristy town and business slowed way down. She now works for Barbizon and travels to different hubs teaching girls how to do makeup and hair and nails etc. She follows her mother, who was a fashion model in Scotland before they came over.

Bob and Isobel now live in a 50+ community and are completely retired. Bob did 10 shows with Albuquerque Civic Light Opera, including Santa in "Here's Love", but he can no longer memorize lines so now it is only church choir and with his hearing waning, that may have to go too.

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