Norval Glynn Simpson
Apr 9, 1932 - Mar 4, 2020
Posted by Ann Weber

EISENHOUR FUNERAL HOME
BLANCHARD, MCCLAIN CO, OK
(PERMISSION GRANTED)

Norval Glynn Simpson, 87, of Blanchard, died Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Norman. The son of William Scott Simpson and Addie Dee (Dugger) Simpson, he was born April 9, 1932 in Elk City, Oklahoma.

Growing up on a farm in Carter, Oklahoma, Glynn often worked at his father’s grocery store during his youth, until he graduated from Carter High School in 1950. He married Catharine Louise Loyd on January 1, 1955, in Elk City; earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma A&M; and secured a master’s degree in the same discipline from the newly renamed Oklahoma State University. Early in his career, he worked on one of the surveying teams that helped plot what is now Interstate 40. Glynn then took a job at the Federal Aviation Agency in Oklahoma City as a structural engineer. He helped design several notable projects at Will Rogers Airport, including an air traffic control tower that has served as a blueprint for other facilities worldwide as well as structural improvements that mitigate the danger of a possible terrorist attack. Before retiring after a lengthy career at FAA, he served as the lead engineer for the first radio-wave protected building constructed by the federal government.

Despite these professional achievements, Glynn didn’t often talk about his ‘paying job.’ He preferred to discuss cattle, issues of the day, and family memories. In 1964, he moved his family to the newly formed Tallman Farms near Dibble, where they raised registered Brangus cattle. His greatest joy was working on his farm with his family and his beloved cattle. He also treasured traveling the American West, and any mention of Yellowstone National Park would bring a gleam to his eye and an amusing anecdote from one of his many visits there.

He was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church in Blanchard, and he was an active supporter of both the Dibble and Blanchard agricultural education programs. Glynn was a founding member of the Indian Nation Brangus Breeders Association, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Brangus Breeders Association, and served on the Board of Directors for the International Brangus Breeders Association. In his spare time, he enjoyed playing chess, testing his knowledge against the daily crossword puzzle, and attending the cattle shows and various events in which his children or grandchildren were involved. He greatly enjoyed spending time with his family and was especially fond of family Christmas get-togethers.

Glynn was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Natalie McGee, Grace Biscoe, and Billie Jean Thomas; and two brothers, Gordon Simpson and J.H. Simpson.

Glynn is survived by his wife of 65 years, Catharine Simpson, of Blanchard; one son, Gordon Simpson and his wife, Mickey, of Blanchard; two daughters, DeeAnn Simpson of Dibble and Sherri Simpson of Blanchard; four grandchildren, Aaron Ervin and his wife, Rebecca, of Midwest City, Jeremy Daniel “J.D.” Ervin of Dibble, Kara Simpson of Blanchard, and Suzanne Bodine and her husband, Eric, of Broken Arrow; two great grandchildren, Joshua Ervin and Isabella Ervin; numerous nieces and nephews; and many other loved ones and friends.

Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 9, 2020, at the First United Methodist Church in Blanchard.

Burial will be held at 3:00 p.m., Monday, March 9, 2020, at the Carter Cemetery in Carter, Oklahoma. Arrangements are under the direction of Eisenhour Funeral Home of Blanchard.

More information, the online obituary, and guestbook are available at www.eisenhourfh.com.