Celebration of Life for Former Bethany Town Clerk Joan Simpson June 18

Bethany, CT - A Celebration of Life for former Bethany Town Clerk Joan Simpson will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 18, at Town Hall.

During the ceremony a bench will be dedicated in her honor.

The public is invited to attend.

Simpson served as Assistant Town Clerk from 1974 to 1979, and Town Clerk from 1979 to 2003. She passed away on May 9, 2016, and below is her obituary from Prospect Memorial Funeral Home:

Joan Mary Cox Simpson of Bethany, CT 

Joan Simpson, 81, departed this life peacefully with her family by her bedside on May 9, 2016. 

Joan was born in New Haven on February 21, 1935; the daughter of James and Beatrice Hay Cox. Joan was married on September 26, 1953 at Christ Episcopal Church in Bethany, CT to her beloved husband Harold V. Simpson Jr. Her service in the town of Bethany as assistant town clerk ran from 1974-1979 and as the Town Clerk from 1979-2003. 

Joan was the first town clerk in the state to receive the designation of Master Municipal Clerk by the Connecticut Town Clerks Association. July 31, 2003 was proclaimed Joan Simpson Day and a flag was flown over the Connecticut State Capitol in her honor. Her hobbies included genealogy, bowling, sewing, and crocheting. She was a member of the D.A.R., Bethany Historical Society, Christ Episcopal Church, and an avid fan of the UCONN Huskies Women's Basketball Team. 

Survived by her spouse of 63 years, Harold V. Simpson Jr., her daughters: Laurie Carvalho (Tony), Lisa Ronco (Mark), Jamie Simpson (Eugene Harris), Tracey Simpson, and Leslie Balzano (Lou), her 8 grandchildren, 1 great-granddaughter, and sister Agnes Russell. Predeceased by daughter Lynn Simpson, parents James and Beatrice Cox. 

A celebration of life will be held on June 18th at Bethany Town Hall, 40 Peck Road, Bethany, CT. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society or Bethany Historical Society in her name. 

"Beloved and never forgotten; her legacy will always live on"

Photo: Joan Simpson. Photo credit: Prospect Memorial Funeral Home