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Thomas Warren 'Tom' Simpkins passed away on September 30, 2015 in West Yellowstone, Montana at the age of 71. Tom suffered a heart attack while doing one of his favorite things, an annual fishing trip to Montana.
Tom was born in St. Helena and grew up in Napa. After graduation, and prior to settling in San Jose, Tom worked a variety of jobs for a variety of businesses including a Shell Oil Distributor, Western Airlines in San Carlos, and construction in Maui, Hawaii. In 1975, Tom established his General Contractor business in San Jose, which he ran until retiring in 2008.
Tom served in the United State Air Force from from 1965 to 1969. He was a UX (user experience) Designer, which involves designing products and services that better serve user needs. He was stationed in a number of locations including Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, North Carolina, and U-Tapao, Thialand.
Tom is survived by his wife Sandy, two sons, four grandchildren, one sister, one brother, and his cousin, Cliff Simpkins, Napa High Class of 1962.
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William 'Bill' Moody
Tom and I were neighborhood and best of friends from the about the age of 7 to about 11 when he moved to another part of town. We also shared this time at Shearer Elementary School on Pine Street in the south part of town. We went our separate ways for several years, but by 8th grade we reconnected at Ridgeview Junior High (both schools now bulldozed into history).
Tom comes from an old Napa County family with roots in the dairy business. He was very industrious and always had a part-time job. He was also very generous. I recall that on most mornings, he'd swing by my house and give me a lift to Napa High during our junior and senior years. His first car was a model 'A', which was only slightly unreliable. But then he followed it with a mustard colored '53 Chevy convertible. We made many trips to the A&W during school lunch breaks. After graduating, he joined the military service, and we lost contact for the next 15 plus years. I believe it was at a '62 class reunion that we ran into each other again, and found that we were living not too far apart; he in San Jose, and me in Sunnyvale. He made his career as a residential contractor. We did get together there in Silicon Valley, but unfortunately that was our only family-to-family visit. It was only in 2015 that I got the chance to say a final good-bye to him at his memorial service. I was astounded at the number of friends he and his wife had made over the years. The church was packed and it was certainly a real tribute to him and his willingness to give back. It was also an opportunity to reconnect with his brother, sister, and Cliff Simpkins (his cousin), after so many decades. I'm certainly fortunate for having Tom as a friend.
Donald Stevenson
I agree. Tom was a nice guy. Don