Obituary of Pamela Valerie Simpson

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our dear Mother, Pamela. On September 16, 2021, our Earth Angel got her wings, and flew free of the disease that had taken her from us a long time ago. She is survived by daughters Lori (Terry) and Karen (Danny); son Gordon (Gaby); her long awaited and so very much adored grandchildren, Alyssa, Faith, Alena, Ryder, and Adi; sister Audrey; numerous nieces and nephews; and so very many friends accumulated over a lifetime. Pam is now reunited with sister Joan; brothers Gordon and Donald; parents Hector and Hilda; nephews Roddy and Billy; niece Diane; and other friends including her ex-husband Peter, with whom she maintained a friendly relationship. Born in Winnipeg, she did well in school before training as an office assistant. Prior to motherhood, she took pride in her job as an assistant to a vice-president at CN, and once the kids were all in school she rejoined the workforce at Al’s Jewellers until her retirement. Mom was always everyone’s Mom, from the neighborhood kids who constantly came over to play, to the occasional “stray” at Christmas, and she always had room in her heart for one more. She was never judgmental (although in those last years she honed an eye-roll that would have had the most cynical teen in awe of it) and always had a willing ear. She taught us kindness and tolerance, love and strength, the value of a good bargain, and that there were very few things that a butterscotch sundae couldn’t make at least a little bit better. She had resigned herself to not having grandchildren, instead opting to spoil her many diverse grand-critters, when Alyssa came into all our lives. That opened the floodgates, with Faith, Alena, Ryder, and Adi arriving at fairly regular intervals until she had a fine set of five. All perfect in her eyes, of course, even when they weren’t, and incapable of doing any real wrong. Pam loved her family and flowers and dancing. Oh, how she loved dancing, and in her youth competed in roller-dance which is how she met her husband Peter. The story goes that she was wrangling some kids at a competition when she noticed a tall, handsome fellow who was helping organize, so she kept riling up the kids so he would have to come over to settle them down. The rest is history as they say. We had a wonderful childhood in Norwood Flats. In her retirement years, Pam moved to an apartment in Appleton Estates, where her ninth floor balcony looked out over the Seine River and the nearby golf course. She loved it, and hosting her grandkids became a favorite activity. An announcement of “time to go to Grandma’s” always brought happy smiles and a dash for the door. Once the Alzheimer’s advanced, she had to go into care. She liked her caregivers and if the steady stream of elaborate french braids in her hair was any indication, the feeling was mutual. An avid walker, every visit was marked by us traipsing around the facility while staff we passed helped us out with where they had seen her last. Of course we always just missed her, and got in our exercise for the day. It remained her home for nine years, and we will always remember the genuine warmth and compassion from the staff there. Through it all, no matter what else changed, she stayed “sweet”, the word everyone seemed to choose to describe her with. Mom, we all miss you so much, but we know you’re up there, laughing with your loved ones that have gone before, and having that “one little brown cow” with Joan. Hug them all, give them our love, and until we meet again, I hope you dance.