March 19, 1948 – June 9, 2023

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Terry Lorne Simpso of Grande Prairie, AB on June 9th, 2023, after a brief battle with Dementia. He was 75 years old.

Terry was born in Birch Hills, SK where he grew up on a farm outside of small-town Weldon. At the young age of 16, he quit school to go work on the farm. He enjoyed working with his hands on anything mechanical. A self-made mechanic, anything from tractors to furnaces….if it was broke – Terry would fix it.

Terry met the love of his life Lynda Boe, in September 1969. They were engaged on Valentines Day 1970, married in June and had their first daughter Lorinda in September. They were blessed with a 2nd daughter on Father’s Day 1973. Terry continued to farm canola / wheat / barley and raised pigs and cows. He loved playing with the girls and had many horses, dogs, and cats on the farm too.

In 1979, Terry decided it was time to leave farming and find a new passion. So, he packed up the family, 3 dogs, 6 cats, 6 horses and moved to Alberta. He purchased an acreage outside of Edson and started his own company running backhoe and putting in natural gas lines. He would work hard all summer so that he could have time and money for his love of skiing in the winter. He loved the slopes in Jasper and Banff and would try and get out to BC to Big White and SilverStar whenever he could. Terry was a trailblazer in skiing and life in general. He preferred to take the undriven powder versus the beaten path whenever he could.

The old saying goes “He Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins“. Terry lived and breathed by that. The yard was always filled with snow machines, ATV’s, motorcycles, tractors, etc. And if he wasn’t riding them, he was fixing them. The house would be full of friends that the girls would bring home, always something to do and never a boring moment. And every sport the girls were involved in, guaranteed if you look up to the stands, Terry would be there capturing video of his daughters – proud as can be. It was important to Terry to raise his 2 girls as strong and independent young women. So, if there was a tire to be replaced, it was never done for them but done with them. So many special moments he shared with his daughters, he made a point to take them for breakfast every Sunday – no moms allowed. If ever there was a storm coming, Terry was quick to wake up his girls and find the perfect spot to watch it roll through.

When the work started to slow down with gas lining and the girls grew up, Terry found work on the oil rigs. He would stay at camp, sometimes for weeks at a time. Eventually the girls left Edson, Lorinda moving to Calgary and Lisa to Grande Prairie. In 2004, the work (and mostly the grandkids) drew Terry to move there. He found himself working in a variety of areas including: hydrovac, directional drilling, excavating and mud-stripping. Lisa, her husband Shawn and their growing family bought an acreage north of Grande Prairie. And that is where Terry and Lynda bought their next home and watched their 3 beautiful grandkids (Colton, Steel and Saffire) grow up. Their grandkids in Calgary (Ashlyn and Abby) would come to the acreage quite often. There was no greater joy in life for Terry than spending time and spoiling his 5 grandkids. So many wonderful memories they have of riding machines, teaching moments, picnics, watching movies and eating popcorn with their “Bapa”. Waking up and having a bowl of his famous porridge and playing with his dog Tequila were his favorite things to start his day.

Terry continued to work up until his retirement in 2019, which is also when he was diagnosed with Alzheimers. If there’s one thing that Terry would want us to remember him by, it would be “work hard but play harder”.

“A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.” — Unknown

Terry is survived by his loving wife of nearly 53 years Lynda Simpso (nee Boe). His daughter Lorinda (Cory) Woodham and children Ashlyn and Abby. And Terry’s 2nd daughter Lisa (Shawn) Burke and children Colton, Steel and Saffire. He is survived by his mother Pearl (Nee Manson) Simpso, sister Diana (Danny) Sagin, sister Marilynn (nee Simpso) Solley and brothers-in-law David (Elaine) and Gary Boe. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Terry is predeceased by his dad Lyle Simpso, brothers Stanley and Kim Simpso, and brother-in-law Bob Solley. Also predeceased by his loving in-laws Fred and Verda Boe.

There will be a Celebration of Life to be hosted in Grande Prairie later this summer / early fall (details to follow).

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Alzheimer Society of Canada.

The family would appreciate any photos, moments, stories that you could share about Terry. He is profoundly missed, hearing about your experiences will be both healing and cherished for those he left behind. xo

Care entrusted to Bear Creek Funeral Home 780 830 7742 bearcreekfuneral.com

• Date : 0203-06-09
• Location : Grand Prairie, Alberta