Determined to not let a raging pandemic slow him down, Beverly/Morgan Park resident Earl Sean Simpson, is gearing up to celebrate his 102nd birthday on Sat., Jan. 9 from the safety of his home through a FaceTime Fest with family, friends and church members.
Simpson is a staunch man of faith and a devout servant at Coppin Memorial AME Church where he currently attends worship service on Zoom. Simpson and his wife, the late Helen Hudson Simpson, were honored by Coppin for being outstanding members.
Described as a quiet, deep thinking, organized and compassionate man, Simpson enjoys reading and discussing the daily newspaper and watching news programs to stay current on local and national events, especially politics. He loves jazz, gospel and old big band music and enjoys watching western movies, the National Geographics series and Netflix. Still sporting a healthy appetite, Simpson will not turn down a delicious meal of seafood, gumbo, fried catfish, shrimp or soup. He likes ketchup on most foods and has one strong cup of coffee daily.
Simpson has lived in the community since 2002. He was born in Natchez, Mississippi and raised in New Orleans, where he completed his elementary school education and worked various jobs to support himself. He accepted Christ at an early age at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in New Orleans.
Simpson married his sweetheart, Helen Hudson, in 1942 and to this union four children were born. Simpson moved the family to Chicago in 1945 after his military service in World War II. He was a Private First Class in the United States Army in a segregated unit, 696th Port Company (Transportation Corps), from Apr. 25, 1942 until he was honorably discharged on Nov. 26, 1945.
In Chicago, Simpson worked as a machine operator at International Harvester and as a United States Post Office mail clerk at the main downtown Chicago location until his retirement in 1982. His wife died in 2005.
Hobbies consume a good portion of Simpson’s time. He cares for the houseplants and when he was able he enjoyed planting and caring for his vegetable garden. He has a special love for dogs and loved taking care of his beloved Yorkie, Bandit, until he passed on. Today, Simpson lives with his daughter, Marguerite, in their family home where they love and take care of each other and enjoy watching church service on the computer, planning their weekly meals and occasional travel with family members.
Simpson often shares advice on life with young people, such as “Stay busy and get a good education so you can work in a career of your choice. Get involved in church and find positive recreation.” With 62 years of marital experience, Simpson also has sound advice for married couples: “Learn to work together, love each other and try to understand each other.”
