Bill Simpson put in 41 productive years at Lockheed Martin's Marietta facility. His co-workers thought he was just about the smartest guy around, the kind of person who always got the toughest assignments.
"He was absolutely brilliant," said John Walters of Cumming, a former Lockheed Martin supervisor. "He played a key role in the continuing upgrades of the hydraulic systems on both the C-5 and the C-130 transport planes."
"Bill was the best hydraulics engineer I've ever run into," said Carl Weaver of Marietta, a former Lockheed Martin colleague. "The C-5 has miles of hydraulic tubing and numerous hydraulic devices to operate the elevators, ailerons, ramps, visors, landing gear and so forth. Bill helped find solutions to improving the C-5 and keeping it flying."
Mark Starz of Dallas, Ga., another Lockheed Martin engineer, recalled a time years ago when as a new hire he was sent on a troubleshooting mission to California to deal with hydraulic problems of C-130 transport planes there. "I needed help," he said, "and Bill Simpson talked me through the difficulties over the phone."
William Elliott Simpson Jr., 79, died Feb. 28 at his Chamblee residence of prostate cancer complications. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. March 19 at Chamblee First United Methodist Church. Cremation Society of Georgia is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made in his memory to the Chamblee UMC Restoration Fund, 4147 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Chamblee GA 30341 or the United Methodist Children's Home, 600 S. Columbia Drive, Decatur GA 30030.
His church and the United Methodist Children's Home were important commitments in Mr. Simpson's life.
"Bill was one of those dear souls who are always willing to help," said his pastor, the Rev. Royeese Stowe. "As a Stephen minister, he was a faithful visitor of shut-ins and hospital patients. And I knew I could count on him to join me if I had to make an emergency pastoral call late at night."
In addition, Mr. Simpson was a Sunday school teacher and what the Rev. Stowe called the church's "unofficial official photographer." Whatever the church function -- an Easter egg hunt, a fall festival or a stewardship Sunday -- Mr. Simpson would be there with his camera, she said.
Mr. Simpson was a 20-year volunteer for the auxiliary of the United Methodist Children's Home. A fellow volunteer, Kathryn Rogers of Stone Mountain, said he was a jack-of-all-trades who put in two days a week as a volunteer, even after beginning chemotherapy treatments for cancer.
He was especially adept, she said, at repairing furniture and fixing household appliances that the auxiliary sold to the public in its thrice-yearly flea markets. Those sales earn about $100,000 a year for the children's home, she said.
Mr. Simpson took up long-distance biking in August 2008 after he had begun chemotherapy treatment. He and his son, John Simpson of Smyrna, frequently biked the Silver Comet Trail for distances of 10 to 26 miles. "Dad loved the route. It followed a rail line he used to ride going over to visit an aunt in Birmingham," his son said.
Mr. Simpson also enjoyed sailing on Lake Lanier and Lake Sinclair, especially in a craft he designed and built himself. A few of his sailboat designs were unconventional, his son said. One was shaped like a Dutch wooden shoe, another like a three-legged pyramid set on pontoons.
He took up astronomy as a hobby in his teen years, his son said, and enjoyed it the rest of his life. "Dad spent his entire high school senior year grinding his own mirror for a reflector telescope, and you can still see the rings of Saturn with it."
Survivors also include his wife, Martha Simpson; and another son, Jeff Simpson of Chamblee.
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