The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday April 5, 2008 - 3 Former Beaver publisher had the community at heart By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF W. (William) Kirk Simpson was the "Chief" with the big heart -- and many loved him in return. The former publisher of The Oakville Beaver and long-time Oakville resident, died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday night. He is survived by his daughters, Bonnie Simpson, Linda Culumovic and Kelly Yurgan. "We love you Dad," they said collectively, yesterday. Simpson lost his wife, Doreen, last June, after caring for her for five years. "He was just a wonderful man, in every way. He took such good care of Doreen," said Shirley Taylor, a friend of the Simpsons who headed up real estate sales for The Oakville Beaver 27 years before retiring in the early 1990s. "Wow, I was just talking to him last week," said Taylor, noting Mr. Simpson had been on kidney dialysis three times a week and was back and forth between his home and Trafalgar Lodge retirement residence. "He was a great boss, we called him Chief," said Taylor calling her former boss and friend, an avid golfer and a real sports fan. Former Oakville Living editor Wilma Blokhuis, who put in 30 years with The Beaver before retiring two years ago, had similar thoughts. "Kirk Simpson was a wonderful, wonderful man, a kind, warm-hearted human being. He had the best interests of the community at heart. Kirk was a real community booster. I thoroughly enjoyed working for him," said Blokhuis. "He was a devout husband and father. Kirk had a very caring heart. I considered him a dear friend. If I had a problem, I knew I could always talk to Kirk and he would help me out -- and he did. I have many fond memories of Kirk, a man I'm proud to say had been my boss for most of my years at the Beaver," said Blokhuis. According to Blokhuis, Mr. Simpson was in kidney dialysis as a result of kidney failure. "When he told me one day while visiting the Beaver and I had asked him if his name was on the transplant list, he replied, `When the doctors asked me if I wanted to be added to the kidney transplant list, `I said no, let a younger person have it.'" "That basically sums it up for me regarding the type of loving and giving person Kirk was," said Blokhuis who was hired at The Beaver just prior to Mr. Simpson taking over at its helm. "Dad loved attending his grandchildren's hockey games, watching them play and spending time with them in the backyard pool. He took much pride and care in his lawn and gardens at his house. He loved taking pictures of nature scenes, and family. He was a SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER TOGETHER AGAIN: Former Oakville Beaver publisher Kirk Simpson with his wife, Doreen. The couple met at The Welland Tribune, where he worked in the advertising sales department and she worked as the secretary to the publisher. Doreen passed away last year. real family man, and was very proud of all of elled across Canada for two years. his grandchildren. He was an avid golfer, and By the mid-1960s, he settled back in loved watching all sports," said his daughter Oakville as sales manager at the JournalKelly. Record. "I worked with Kirk From there he became from the time he joined "Kirk Simpson was a ad director at The the Beaver, which was wonderful, wonderful man, Windsor Star and then located down on Church a kind, warm-hearted human returned to Oakville again Street," said Taylor. as retail sales manager being. He had the best Indeed, Mr. Simpson with the Beaver. appeared on Oakville's interests of the community He then landed a pubnewspaper scene when he at heart. Kirk was a real lishing post with The and Doreen arrived in community booster." Etobicoke Gazette and, in town in 1959. 1977, returned to The Mr. Simpson was in Former Oakville Living Editor Oakville Beaver as pubadvertising sales with the Wilma Blokhuis lisher when his good 150-year-old Oakville friend and former Beaver Journal, which operated on Church St. publisher, Bill Leeder, moved to Florida and In 1962, the Oakville Journal-Record, a The Oakville Beaver had moved to its new daily, was born, with Mr. Simpson as advertis- home, where it continues to operate today, at ing director and Bill Cotton as publisher. It 467 Speers Rd. operated on Randall Street. Mr. Simpson, who always liked a good In 1964, he became a national sales train- game of golf, retired in 1991 after 14 years as er with Thomson Newspapers Ltd. and trav- publisher. He had become a familiar face vis- iting The Beaver since. ··· Born on Feb. 27, 1932, in Welland, Simpson was predeceased by his wife of 49 years who passed away June 9, 2007. He is survived by his three daughters. He was also Poppa to his grandchildren, Adam and Jenna Culumovic, and Hayley, Hannah and Hayden Yurgan. Raised in Welland, the son of pharmacist Sherman Simpson and his wife, Mary, Mr. Simpson came from a large family of nine. Simpson has 32 nieces and nephews. Simpson left high school early and worked for his dad until The Welland Tribune advertising department paid $3 more than the $28/week his dad paid, and Simpson had got his start in the newspaper business. He also met his wife Doreen, who was secretary to the publisher of the Tribune. They married in 1957 and moved to Oakville in 1959. The Simpsons lived all their married life in Oakville and were members of St. Andrew's Parish. Mr. Simpson was also a fourth degree and sixtieth degree member of the Knights of Columbus of Oakville where he served as Grand Knight in the early 1970s. "Dad loved getting involved in various charitable organizations with his fellow Knights. He was the founding member of the Si-Mac Golf Tournament and co-chair of the St. Patrick's Dance for Juvenile Diabetes, which was a foundation very close to his heart. He would meet every morning at the Knights to drink coffee and socialize with his friends there," said Kelly. Mr. Simpson loved golf, but got most of his enjoyment spending time with family in his backyard and pool. Simpson was a renal dialysis patient at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) for four years, and spent the last four months at Trafalgar Lodge Retirement Home. "He joked that he ended up at the Lodge, where he actually got his start in the building, as this used to be the Oakville Journal Record newspaper," said Kelly. Mr. Simpson, though an advertising man through and through, believed a community paper should always be welcomed into a local home like a good friend. To be such a friend, Mr. Simpson founded The Oakville Beaver annual Charity Golf Tournament to aid the OTMH during his time at the newspaper. Visitation at Kopriva Taylor funeral home in Oakville is on Monday, April 7, 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, April 8 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A funeral will be held Wednesday, April 9 at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, 47 Reynolds St. As expressions of sympathy, donations may be made to the Renal Dialysis Unit at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. PREPARE FOR THE ROAD AHEAD. Next course: Next course: February Monday & p.m. am to 4:15 pm May 3,54, 10, 11 Wednesday (4 weeks) 6:009:30to 9:15 p.m. 2 weekends February 17th Saturday & Sunday (2 weeks) 9:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. th www.youngdrivers.com 905.845.7200 MTO APPROVED BEGINNER DRIVER EDUCATION COURSE PROVIDER