Hospice of Western Reserve Renames Its Hospice House After Former CEO

David Simpson said he's rarely caught speechless.

Yet he could not find the words when Mary Ann Kocurko, the board chair of the Hospice of the Western Reserve, said its Hospice House would be renamed in his honor during the nonprofit's annual meeting.

"I was stunned," Simpson said. "I'm usually pretty articulate and prepared for anything, but I was blown away and couldn't think of anything."

Simpson, who lives in Kirtland Hills, has been with Hospice of the Western Reserve since 1985, back when it was headquartered on Heisley Road and called Hospice of Lake County.

“The board was looking for a way to honor David and preserve his legacy,” Kocurko said. “Because he was so vital in building Hospice of the Western Reserve into the organization it is today, it seems appropriate that Hospice House be renamed in tribute to him.”

Hospice provides care and compassion for people who are seriously ill in Northeast Ohio. Often, the patients receive that care in the comfort of their own home.

However, the Hospice also has its 42-bed, 33,000-square-foot David Simpson Hospice House in Cleveland for its patients who have no caregiver or whose family is unable to care for them at home, as well as a 13-bed facility in Olmsted Township.

Simpson spent 25 years as CEO before recently taking an emeritus title. In 2009, Smart Business and Medical Mutual of Ohio recognized him as one of the Nonprofit Executive Directors of the Year.

Though initially thunderstruck by the honor, Simpson thanked other Hospice employees who had been there since its beginning while at the annual meeting.

“We always stand on the shoulders of people who made it happen before us. We stand on their shoulders and give thanks for their legacy,” he said.