Catherine A. Sanders

Obituary Susan Simpson Sanders Catherine A. "Susan" Simpson was born on October 17, 1918 in Kalispell, Montana and died on February 14, 2006. Her mother traveled to Kalispell from Tacoma to await Susan's birth to avoid the flu epidemic. Susan was the 2nd of 6 children born to J.P. and Hazel Simpson. Susan's elder sister is Dorothy Ann Wilson. After Susan came her sisters and brothers: Margaret Mary "Peaches" Clarke, John Philip Simpson, Jr., Richard Charles Simpson and James Andrew Simpson . Susan attended St. Patrick's School and graduated from Stadium High School in 1936. Her father, J.P. Simpson, told Susan that she must work for a year before going to college so she went to work in his office at Buffelin Lumber. It was there she would meet her future husband, Robert M. (Bob) Sanders who worked in the mill. Susan loved relating the tale of their first date. Bob knocked on the door of the family home and it was opened by his boss! Susan always felt that it was brave of Bob. Susan attended Washington State College for two years and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She recently received her 60-year pin from the Kappa Alumni Group. Always a Cougar fan, Susan attended football games when possible and enjoyed the games in Seattle particularly when a Cougar Yacht Club event was planned to coincide. Susan and Bob married in St. Patrick's Church in 1940. Bob's careers took him to various locales and Susan always stayed behind to sell the house and wait until the kids (Judy and Sandy [Robert M. Jr.]) finished the school year before joining Bob in the new town. These locales were: Ritzville, WA; Columbia Falls, MT; Oakland, CA; Monterey Park, CA; Tema, Ghana, West Africa; Mandeville, Jamaica, New Orleans, LA and finally they retired back in Tacoma. Susan was so much more than a good housewife and mother. In Montana she led the choir in her church and often sang high masses solo on weekdays so that the parish priest would not have to farm out his many "in memory of" masses. It was magic listening to her rich alto voice singing Gregorian chant acapella. Also in Montana, she operated a crane moving permanent house trailers into position - an investment she and Bob had made. She was the driving force in Bob's decision to take jobs offered him by Kaiser Engineers in Ghana, Jamaica and New Orleans. A favorite pastime was golf. Susan played in Africa, Jamaica, New Orleans and continued after she and Bob retired back in Tacoma. She played until she was 75. After retirement, Susan and Bob continued to travel the globe, never losing their excitement about being in new countries. Susan came from an amazingly close extended family that enjoyed huge family reunions over the years. The last reunion brought 113 relatives from all over the U.S. to Fort Worden in Port Townsend. A strong sense of family was passed to Susan and her siblings by their parents and they in turn passed this on to the next generations. The 6 Simpsons were a strong set of siblings and it took strong, independent people to consider marrying into the family. Early on while at dinner at the family home on Junett Street, it was noted by Dorothy Ann's husband, John Wilson that all the Simpsons were on one side of the table and all the "Outlaws" were on the other. The Outlaws (John Wilson, Bob Sanders, Herb Clarke, Gerry Hayes Simpson, Yvonne Gauthier Simpson and Rosemary Gainor Simpson) enjoyed that label. At several reunions an Outlaw Induction Ceremony was held to welcome new Outlaws who had married into the family. The Rabbits Club - friends who had had children at the same time in the 1940's, invited Susan to join (her sister, Peaches was the official member). She was a proud member of the group and enjoyed their monthly luncheon gatherings at Fircrest Golf Club. Bob died in 1989 and Susan set out on this new phase of life sadly but easily because of her marriage had been one where both participated in all matter. She could manage well on her own. She bought a condo, and traveled the world until age slowed her down. She moved to Franke Tobey Jones in 2003. Susan will be missed greatly by her daughter, Judy and husband Bill Fletcher, by her son Bob "Sandy", his wife MaryAnn, their three sons Rob (Heather), Mike and Rick. She also leaves behind Judy's stepdaughters, Marie Williams, Kathi Fletcher, her husband Luigi Bai, as well as 5 great-grandchildren, Eric Williams, Maya Fletcher-Bai, Ariana Fletcher-Bai, Jordan Zimbleman Sanders, and Ashley Sanders. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick Catholic Church on Friday, February 17, 2006 at 11:00 AM. A viewing and Rosary will be held at the Gaffney Funeral Home Chapel, 1002 S. Yakima Ave., Tacoma, WA, Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 PM. A Requiem High Mass will be sung by Susan's nephew and god-son, Richard C. Simpson, Jr. of Boston. Interment at Calvary Cemetery. Please leave online condolences at www.gaffneyfuneralhome.com . In lieu of flowers, Susan requested that donations be made to: Make-A-Wish Foundation of America Gift Processing Center P.O. Box 29119 Phoenix, Arizona 85038-9119 http://www.wish.org/home/giving/dept_memorial.htm Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, 253-572-6003.