Obituaries
Frances Louise Simpsons, 67, of Waltham

WALTHAM — Frances Louise Simpson passed away at home surrounded by family on Dec. 17, 2021, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Fran, 67, was the seventh of nine children of Kenneth Field Cushman and Mary Evelyn (Husk) Cushman. She grew up on the Cushman dairy farm on Middlebrook Road in Ferrisburgh, where she developed her unstoppable work ethic.
She was a 1972 graduate of Vergennes Union High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont in 1976. Fran got her start as a horticulturalist when she was still in high school when she built her first greenhouse with her father.
She and her husband Charles (Chuck) Simpson started Simpson’s Greenhouse in Waltham in 1979. A focused and disciplined worker, Fran steadily grew her business, eventually adding eighteen greenhouses. She also raised three children among the pansies, petunias, and mums.
She enjoyed spending time with her family, being outdoors, and any type of dessert. She was a natural at growing just about every plant.
She is survived by her loving husband, Charles Simpson; her son Jesse Simpson and wife Katrina of Underhill; her daughter Heather Simpson and husband Josh Trudeau of Bristol; and son Travis Simpson of Waltham. She leaves behind her beloved grandchildren Evelyn and Laura Simpson and Charles, Henry, and John Trudeau.
Fran is also survived by her siblings, Patty Ganson of Vergennes; Carolyn Allen of Charlotte; Margaret Shelley and her husband Gary of Berlin; Fred Cushman of New Haven; Lynn Cushman and his wife Julie of Redmond, Wash.; Kenny Cushman and his wife Shayne of Virginia; Wendy Ringer of Vergennes and Elaine Carroll and her husband Matt of Boston; as well as many extended relatives.
She is predeceased by her parents and brothers-in-law Wayne Ganson, John Allen and Tony Ringer. We want to thank the staff of Addison County Home Health and Hospice for keeping mom comfortable in her final days.
Visiting hours will be Sunday, Dec. 26, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Brown-McClay Funeral Home in Vergennes. Everyone is welcome, and please wear a mask. The funeral service will be held at Brown-McClay on Dec. 27, at 10 a.m. and will be limited to family only due to COVID restrictions. A private burial will follow at Gage Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to American Legion Post 14 Vergennes, VT 05491. To send online condolences to her family please visit www.brownmcclayfuneralhomes.com. For those who want to watch the video of the service, it will be located at the bottom of the obituary on the Brown McClay website.◊
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