Robert Moody Simpson passed away April 17, 2024, surrounded by his family. He was born on November 4, 1926, in Granada, Mississippi to Morris Cullen and Lula Roberson Simpson.
He was raised in Cleveland, MS, attended Cleveland Consolidated High School, and graduated from Delta State with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree. He was in the Navy from 1944-1946, in the Navy reserves until 1950, and on active duty again until 1951. He was honorably discharged as a Second-Class Petty Officer, ET2. He then served as a US Government Federal employee for 40 years. He began his career at Keesler Air Force Base and transferred to Redstone Arsenal in 1952 to work with the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. He was a charter member of the Marshall Space Flight Center and worked with NASA from 1960 until his retirement in 1987. He worked as an Aeronautical Engineer on the Skylab, Saturn Rocket, and Hubble Telescope programs. He had many performance awards and special recognitions from Wernher Von Braun and his team.
Robert was an active member of his church, Grace Community Church. Robert was instrumental in providing input on security systems for the church based on his knowledge gained with the Community Watch. He enjoyed exploring the National Parks, photography, gardening, and deeply loved his family.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Gradine Nichols Simpson; son, Glenn Moody Simpson; daughter, Rhonda Simpson Andrews (John); and grandsons, Tyler Jonathan and Jackson Robert Andrews.
Robert was a Man of Excellence, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust in Him; and He shall bring it to pass” Psalms 37:5
Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. with a service to follow at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at Laughlin Service Funeral Home, Huntsville, AL.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the building campaign of Grace Community Church (Huntsville, AL) at https://onrealm.org/gracechurchhuntsville/-/form/give/now, or the Gideon’s International, Huntsville South Camp, PO Box 14308, Huntsville, AL 35815-4308.
