Charles Calvin Simpson

Charles Calvin Simpson, age 91, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. He was born on August 14, 1932 to Harrison C. Simpson and Iris Foster Simpson and was the youngest of nine children. He spent his childhood in Atlanta, GA, where he attended Fulton County High School. After high school, Charles entered the United States Navy as a Seaman Apprentice and ultimately served his country as an Aviation Ordnanceman from 1951 to 1953, where he earned a National Defense Service Medal.

Following his service, he was a grocer with Simpson’s Food Town, which was started by his brother, Paul Simpson. Charles helped revolutionize and modernize the meat department, and Simpson’s Food Town quickly became a fixture in the community. Following this, he became a Manager of the Glenco Store in Decatur, GA. He later became a real estate broker, starting Charles Simpson & Associates where he trained many new agents. He pioneered the concept of home trading and is a past President and Board Member of the DeKalb Board of Realtors.

On August 9, 1952, Charles married the love of his life, Mary Jane Burks. They spent 68 years together, enjoying a life well lived. They started their mornings together reading the paper and laughing at the day’s comics. He and Mary Jane also hosted many board and card game nights for their friends who also were their lifelong travel partners, exploring locations like Hawaii, London, and Canada. Later in life, the two spent their free time volunteering together at the local hospital and participating in a walking club. Charles also stayed very active and was a runner well into his 70s.

Charles was very dedicated to his churches, White Oak Hills Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Conyers, and 12Stone Community Church, where he served as a Sunday School teacher and small group leader. He had an avid love for baseball and was a little league baseball coach for many years, though his favorite tenure was as pitching coach for his grandsons, Chris and Jordan. In retirement, he could be found on the golf course or cheering on the Braves, the Falcons, and the Bulldogs -- he certainly was not a fair weather fan! He spent his final years at Sunrise Senior Living where he made lots of new friends and was dubbed “Mr. Wait A Minute” from his friends and caretakers. He would not let the dessert tray pass him by!

Charles is survived by his son, Gary Simpson, his “Sweetheart” daughter-in-law Cindy Simpson, his grandsons Jordan Simpson (Elizabeth Simpson) and Chris Redmon (Philicia and Brannon McCurley), and Marge Simpson (widow of Rod and mother of Kurt Simpson), as well as extended family members and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, their sons Michael and Rod, and grandson Kurt.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, March 29th at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel & Gardens, 3481 Hamilton Mill Rd. Buford, GA 30519, with visitation one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family has chosen to set up a memorial fund in Charles’s name for bird sanctuary beautification at Sunrise Senior Living. Checks can be made payable to Gary Simpson or sent by Venmo to @CindySimpson0512. Please include “Charles Simpson memorial fund” in the notes with the contribution. Additionally, you can share memories of Charles at hamiltonmillchapel.com