Scott Simpson

Click Here To View Memorial Video John Scott Simpson, recently of Idaho Falls and formerly Lebanon, Oregon, passed away Wednesday, November 20, at Turtle and Crane Assisted Living Center in Idaho Falls in the presence of family. He was 76. Scott was born on April 19, 1937, to parents Neil and Marjorie Simpson at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. He lived in Madison, Wisconsin, where he enjoyed fishing and waterfowl hunting with his father and spending time with his grandfather John Simpson, a well-known tailor. At 9 years old, Scott moved with his parents to Sacramento, California. In his early teens, he worked as a service station attendant where he developed a fascination for vintage automobiles. At a glance, he could name the make, model, and year of virtually any American-made automobile built in the 1950s or earlier. In 1955, Scott graduated from El Camino High School in Sacramento. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado and Sacramento State College. In 1960, he married Judith Gordon. They had three children. Together they enjoyed racing sports cars, mining gold in the Sierra-Nevada mountains, and camping. They were later divorced. Scott worked in the rocket engineering program at Aerojet in Sacramento. It was there that he developed his great interest for rocket pioneer Wernher Von Braun and the American space program. He also served in the Air Force Reserve and greatly respected the men and women in uniform and the American flag. In the mid-1960s, Scott began a new career as an agent for Cal-Western Life Insurance Company, selling insurance and group retirement plans into the 1990s. In his spare time, he continued his passion for automobiles, and restored many cars. He enjoyed participating in car events, even as far away as New Zealand, a country where he developed lifelong friendships. In the 1990s, Scott moved to Lebanon, Oregon, and later served as mayor and city councilman. He enjoyed politics, staying involved with community planning and other activities into his later years. Since his early years with Aerojet, Scott remained fascinated with aviation, particularly in the achievements of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson (designer of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird) and the adventures of Amelia Earhart. Scott frequently gave presentations on Earhart's attempt to circumnavigate the globe in her Lockheed Electra. He worked as a docent at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinville, Oregon, where the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose" is on display. In his later years, Scott developed an interested in genealogy, often traveling back east to research family history and help maintain a cemetery in Maine, where some of his relatives are buried. He moved to Idaho Falls in 2012, to be near two of his three children and six of his grandchildren. He is survived by sons Michael Scott Simpson (Vicki) of Raleigh, NC; former Idaho State Representative Erik Allen Simpson of Ammon; daughter Suzanne (Simpson) Arnold (Trevor) of Ammon; and eight grandchildren; Shawn, Andrew, Travis, Dallas, Jacob, Blake, Brooke, and Colter. The family will hold an informal memorial service at Wood Funeral Home (963 South Ammon Road) in Ammon on Monday, November 25, beginning at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Encompass Home Health and Hospice, 3686 Washington Parkway, Idaho Falls, ID 83404.