Claudette Simpson

Claudette, our mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, drew her last breath on Friday, August 23rd, 2024.

Claudette Kay Simpson was born in Appleton, Colorado to her parents, Nelda and “Cookie” Courter on June 28th, 1941, and from that moment on she began collecting stories. She’d braille the world around her with the stories she read, heard, wrote, told, and shared.

Claudette spent most of her adult life in Prescott, Arizona. She was an accomplished reporter for the Prescott Courier, Editor for the paper’s magazine insert “Westward”, and Editor-in-Chief for the Prescott Sun. She taught Creative Writing through Yavapai College and spent her last years before retirement at the Prescott Public Library.

None of those things were Claudette; she did those things because, at the core of her being, she was a story collector. No story mattered more to her than the unfolding stories of her loved ones. If you asked what she was most proud of, she would always answer “My children.”

We want to say Claudette was exceptional because she was. And she wasn’t. She was courageous. And she wasn’t. She was perfect and flawed in equal measures. Claudette was beautifully human, and she met most people with dignity and a smile because she believed that all stories mattered. She was also full of contradictions: she made sure her kids had epic Halloween costumes to forage for candy while at the same time buying inedible raw peanut butter from the local health food store because it was “good for you.” Don’t get us started about the raw cabbage she forced on her children while her favorite meal was wine and potato chips. Like most of us, she was a beloved mess. And not to worry, reading that about herself would make her chuckle; even with dementia she never lost her sense of humor.

Claudette Simpson raised three children. She encouraged their independence and celebrated their moxie. When a dementia diagnosis meant that she required more support, she went home to Grand Junction, Colorado to live with her daughter, Jana. Jana would sit next to her and tell her stories about the amazing Claudette when she became afraid because she could not remember who she was. She told her about growing up with her grandmothers, packing peaches in the orchards, and selling soda pop at the local baseball games. The one piece of her own story that she never forgot was that she was a mom. The last thing she did before she slipped out of this life was smile when her daughter Jill sang her “Bushel and a Peck.”

Claudette was known by other names; to her sisters and cousins she was “Shorty,” and to her grandchildren, she was their “Ganny.” She is survived by her beloved family in her children: Steve Simpson, Jill Guntur, and Jana Joramo; her grandchildren: Tasha Thomsen, Kyra Rossier, Stefanie Ibarra, and Royce Simpson; her sisters: Marilyn Courter, Linda Crone and Kristi Courter; as well as five great-grandchildren and four nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Claudette Simpson’s life will take place on October 6th, 2024, from 1:00 – 5:00 pm at the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens in Grand Junction, Colorado. Wear bright and beautiful colors.

The family would like to extend heartfelt gratitude for the care and support of the staff at HopeWest Hospice in Grand Junction, Colorado.

In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to HopeWest through their website at HopeWestco.org.