John Ely Simpson

John Ely Simpson, 93, died peacefully July 20, 2013. Born in Charlotte on November 28, 1919, he was the son of John William Simpson and Elsie Ely Simpson. He lived most of his life in Savannah, attending public schools and Armstrong Junior College. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1941, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.



Mr. Simpson served in World War II as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a member of the First Marine Division, he was wounded at Guadalcanal and later served at Marine Corps Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.



Following the war, he attended Yale Law School, graduating in October 1947. He was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1948 and practiced law in Atlanta and Savannah until his?? retirement in 1995. He was a partner in Miller, Simpson and Tatum and its predecessor law firms. He served as President of the Savannah Bar Association, President of the Estate Planning Council of Savannah, Chairman of the Fiduciary Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, and Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He was a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Savannah Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.



Mr. Simpson was involved in a number of community organizations, including serving as Chairman of the board of Managers of the Savannah Public Library, counsel for the Historic Savannah Foundation and the Junior League of Savannah, and a curator of the Georgia Historical Society. He served as a Director of Savannah Foods & Industries, Inc., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Savannah Country Day School, President of the Savannah Golf Club, and Governor of the Society of the Colonial Wars in the State of Georgia. He was a member of the Oglethorpe Club, the Century Club, and the Cotillion Club. He was a member of the St. John's Episcopal Church and had served as a lay reader.



He was a man of integrity and honor, was a true gentleman, and had many friends and many interests. He was member of a regular golf group, dove and quail hunting?? groups, a poker club, and the Romeos. He was a voracious reader and loved gardening. He enjoyed planning trips and traveling, and he took great joy in annual family visits to Highlands, North Carolina.



Mr. Simpson is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marjorie McKinnon Simpson (Sissie); his son Garey Lambert Simpson and his wife Cynthia of Marietta, his daughter Ethelyn Nightingale Simpson of Athens, and his son John Ely Simpson, Jr. of Savannah; his grandchildren, Katherine Simpson Spencer and her husband Eric, Garey Lambert Simpson, Jr., John Ely Simpson III, and Marshall McKinnon Simpson; and his great-granddaughter, Addison Leigh Spencer.



The graveside service will be held at Bonaventure Cemetery on Tuesday, July 23, at 11 A.M. The family invites family and friends to attend a reception afterwards at the Oglethorpe Club.



In lieu of flowers, the family asks that remembrances be made to St. John's Church - 1 W. Macon St., Savannah, 31401; The Humane Society for Greater Savannah - 7215 Sallie Mood Drive, Savannah, 31406; and Hospice Savannah ' Post Office Box 13190, Savannah, 31416.