Rufus Elmer (Al) Simpson passed away at his home in Huntsville on August 14, 2026 at the age of 90.
Al was born in Alabama City on March 22, 1936, to Mable Lucille and Rufus Eric Simpson and graduated from Emma Sansom High School in 1954. He was an accomplished trombone player and considered becoming a professional musician before deciding on a career in engineering. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) in 1958 which led to a lifetime passion for learning. He would go on to receive a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He served in the United States Army and earned the rank of First Lieutenant before being honorably discharged in 1961.
Al married Peggy Jewel Fanning in 1961 and the two of them made their home in Huntsville, with a brief stop in Orlando after their wedding and another one at Kwajalein Island in the mid-1970s. Peggy completed Al and provided him unwavering support for the next 65 years. She provided strength to all his weaknesses and built a loving home for both themselves and their extended family. Her courage, strength, and nurturing as his health declined over the last several years is a shining example of both love and commitment.
Over the course of his professional career, Al worked in the space and defense community for several different companies including Brown Engineering, Chrysler, the US Army Missile Command, CAS Incorporated, and Nichols Research. He retired in 1992.
Al was a self-made man from very humble beginnings but recognized early on the value of hard work, education, and self-reliance. There was never any home or auto repair project that was too complex for him to tackle, and he always had something torn up at the house or in the garage so that he could fix it. He was an avid reader and liked his music loud so that one could appreciate its true dynamic range. If he ran out of things to fix at his house, he would gladly wade into a project for one of his family members. He was one of those rare people who possessed both tremendous intellectual prowess and old-fashioned common sense. He was a lifelong supporter of Auburn athletics and academics and a proud sponsor of the Dr. Rufus E. and Peggy F. Simpson Endowment for Scholarships for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.
There will be a private burial at Maple Hill Cemetery.
