Thomas J Simpson

Thomas Jay Simpson, 57, of Alder, MT, died unexpectedly on January 5th, 2022, of natural causes. His family is shocked and deeply saddened by his loss.

As a small child, growing up in Twin Bridges, MT, Tom was affectionately known as, Tommy Simpson, until someone playfully called him Simmy Thompson instead. The name Simmy, or Sim, was born and that was his new family name from then on. Sim was born on November 9th, 1964, to Tom & Kay Simpson. Sim graduated from Twin Bridges High School and participated in sports and was a meticulous artist. His artistry became apparent as he went into carpentry and would settle for nothing less than perfection. He even cut his boiled potatoes into perfect squares at the dinner table.

Sim loved his little sisters, although he did convince his oldest sister Amy to jump off the roof of the garage, using an umbrella as a parachute. She later forgave him as that did not end well. Sim was very protective of Kristi, his littlest sister. She was a picky eater and on the rare occasions mom and dad wouldn’t let her leave the table until she finished her dinner, Sim would sneak and eat it for her, most memorably her pickled beets.

Sim was an avid outdoorsman and loved almost anything with a motor. He loved old cars, trucks, motorcycles and snowmobiles, and may have even collected them. He also loved outdoor concerts and could often be seen dancing at Rocking the River or Phish concerts at the Gorge Amphitheatre.

Sim’s greatest passion in life was gold mining. It was in his blood. He even spent a year in Ghana Africa mining, until a bout of malaria almost took his life. Sim was happiest in the hills around Virginia City with his gold pan and a shovel. He loved the mountains, and the quality of his life was based on how often he got to spend time in them. His needs were simple and he was as genuine as they come; an all-around great guy. He will be deeply missed.

He is survived by his sister, Amy (Simpson) Dirks, and family, and Kristi (Simpson) Sharpe and family. He has many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews who love him. He is preceded in death by his father, Tom Simpson, and his mother, Kay (Mortensen) Simpson, as well as a baby brother who died in infancy.

Amy and Kristi want to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support at this time. Sim had a favorite saying and it was this, “Unhook the plow…” So next time you’re stressed, and life is dragging you down, keep Sim and his words in mind.