Thomas "Tom" Edward Simpson

"Thomas Edward Simpson, born July 22, 1928, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, died peacefully on
March 14, 2026, at age 97, in Valencia, Pennsylvania. A child of the Great Depression, his father,
Cuthbert, died when Tom was only three years old. Then he and his sisters, Eva Gail (Clyde)
Jordan and Beverly (Robert) Russell, were raised by their mother Frances Metz Simpson. While
their mother worked, he and his sisters spent much of their early childhood living with relatives.
Eventually the family was reunited and lived in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh. He graduated
from Schenley High School in 1947. After serving in the Merchant Marines, Tom married his high
school sweetheart, Audrey Shields, in 1950. They had three children, Keith (Jean), Kenneth
(Karen) and Diane (John) Kunz. The family lived in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Tom was trained
as a machinist and worked for more than 30 years for Mesta Machine Company in Homestead,
Pennsylvania. While working long hours and many night shifts, Tom always took the family on
vacations. He loved to be around water, so most vacations were at the shore in New Jersey or
lakes in Pennsylvania and New York.
After a long illness, Audrey died in January 1982. Tom briefly lived with son Keith in Pleasant
Hills, which led to him meeting neighbor Marilyn Buser, who was recently widowed. They
shared so many interests and quickly fell in love. Tom and Marilyn were married in 1990 and
continued to live in Pleasant Hills. Marilyn also had three adult children, Janet (Tom) Hayes, Jim
(Ginny) and Jeff (Robin). Tom and Marilyn enjoyed time with their blended families and
traveling, often to time shares in the Carolinas, or to historic sites. Their family grew to a
combined 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. After a short illness, Marilyn died in
October 2015. A year later he moved into the Village at St. Barnabas senior living facility in
Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, and then in December 2025, into the Arbors assisted living facility in
Valencia.
From such humble beginnings, Tom always said he could not believe how fortunate he was. He
found two women who loved him and with who he spent a combined 56 years of happily
married life. He had three children and three stepchildren who were healthy, and each had
happy families. In his later years he had become an avid football fan and enjoyed following the
Steelers as well as all the professional and college teams. He was as sharp as a tack up to his last
day, using a smart phone to keep up with his children through his prolific texts, even using
emojis. He spread joy to everyone he met and always had a song in his head that he was happy
to sing to you. At a celebration of his 97th birthday in 2025, we joined him in singing one of his
favorites, “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.” He will be missed by his family and
everyone who knew him."

If schedule allows, please attend the Celebration of Life Service for Tom on THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 at the Pleasant Hills Church, 199 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, at 11:00 a.m.

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