Jo Ann Simpson was born on the first day of spring in 1938 to John and Lucille (Anderson) Fischer in rural Stafford County. She passed from this life at Azria Health in Great Bend on March 1, 2023, 20 days short of her 85th birthday. Jo Ann grew up on a farm southeast of Great Bend. She was a 1956 graduate of Great Bend High School. On June 28, 1958, she married Lee Simpson at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Seward. To this union, three children were born. After only being married eight years, Lee died unexpectedly. With the help of her parents, she raised her daughter and two sons.
Jo Ann was employed for many years by USD 428 as a food service worker until health issues forced her to retire. She will be remembered for her smile, sense of humor, laughter, thoughtfulness, grateful nature, devotion to the Catholic faith, and her love for her family.
Jo Ann will be missed forever by her children, Lea Ann LeRoy and her husband, Mark; Gordan Simpson and his wife, Lynn; and Montgomery (Monty) Simpson. Others who will mourn her loss are her grandsons, Tyler Simpson, Brice Simpson and his wife, Allison; Kyle LeRoy, and Caleb Simpson and his wife, Virginia. Jo Ann was blessed with eight great-grandchildren: Mackenzie Simpson, Madison Simpson, Sadie Simpson, Libby Simpson, Marshall Simpson, Calvin (Cal) LeRoy, Alyxandra (Aly) LeRoy and Adelaide Simpson.
She is also survived by her younger brother, Stephen Fischer, and his wife, Nancy; nephews, Karl Stoecklein and Alan Stoecklein; niece, Connie Fischer; great nephew, Alexei (Alex) Sadowsky; many nieces and nephews on her husband’s side of the family including Ann (Spacil) Haremza, Leon Spacil and his wife, Carole; and Candi Spacil; and her Fischer cousins.
Other relatives proceeding Jo Ann in death in addition to her husband in 1966, include her father in 1981, her mother in 2002, her older sister, Merlyn Stoecklein, in 2015, her brother-in-law, Jerry Stoecklein, in 2017; Lee’s four siblings and their spouses; nieces, June (Spacil) Harshberger and Judith Spacil, nephew, Paul Spacil, and great-nephew, Shawn Cook.
Extended family includes the staff at the nursing home whether they were a nurse, nurse aide, medication aide, occupational, physical or speech therapist or assistant, administrator, office manager, social worker, activity director, cook, kitchen helper, beautician, maintenance person or housekeeper. The care and love she received from each and every person no matter their position enabled her to happily reside there for almost twenty-five years.
Her family will always be eternally grateful to her nurse from Gentiva Hospice and the chaplains, social workers and other staff who cared for and visited Jo Ann and supported the family through various situations related to her health and well-being.
Visitation will be held from noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at Bryant Funeral Home, with family to receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. and a rosary held at 7 p.m. A celebration of Jo Ann’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Father Terrance Klein presiding. Burial will be held at 3 p.m., in the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery, in Seward. Memorials have been designated to the resident’s activity fund at Azria Health or Gentiva Hospice, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
Condolences may be sent and notice viewed at www.bryantfh.net. Arrangements by Bryant Funeral Home 1425 Patton Road Great Bend, Kansas 67530