• Fellow angler Dr Ross Simpson died last week at age 89. He was an accomplished surgeon, sailor, and philanthropist, but we know him as an avid angler, who would never give any hooked fish a second of rest. Many anglers fished with him on the Delaware Shad run and a large group of us fished with him in Panama in 2003 and Montana --- Ricky

• Dr Ross Joseph Simpson's Obituary:
• ROSS J. SIMPSON M.D. F.A.C.S BAYONNE Ross Joseph Simpson was born on December 24, 1919 in Bayonne, New Jersey. He was the youngest of David and Mary Amelia Simpson's five children. His siblings were David, a fellow surgeon in Bayonne, James, George, and Ellen. Dr. Simpson attended St. Henry's School, Horace Mann School, Bayonne High School, where he was a member of the Varsity Track Team, St. Peter's College, and NYU Medical School. Dr. Simpson was wed to Marguerite O'Reilly in 1946. He is survived by his children: Ross J. Simpson Jr., M.D., Ph.D. F.A.C.C.S. Thomas E. Simpson M.D., F.A.C.S.. Christopher Simpson D.O., Ph.D. Marguerite S. Baber. His daughter, MaryAnn Hanley predeceased him in 2006. He is the proud grandfather of 15 grandchildren. Dr. Simpson. a captain in the U.S. army, served as the Chief of Chest Surgery at the Osaka Army Hospital in Japan during the Korean War. He received the United Nations and the Korean Service Medals for his service. Dr. Simpson opened his surgical practice in Bayonne in 1952. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons, a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, and a diplomate of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He was Chief of Surgery at Bayonne Hospital and the Pollack Hospital. He was an attending surgeon at St. Francis Hospital, St. Mary Hospital, Morristown General and the French Hospital in New York City. Dr. Simpson was Professor of Surgery at the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Simpson's work on foreign bodies of the chest and heart was of national renown, and he was published in the Annals of Surgery and in the AMA Journal. At Bayonne Hospital, Dr. Simpson served as President of the Medical Staff, President of Board of Trustees, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Simpson was an avid yachtsman and sailed extensively with his family along the Atlantic seaboard from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. In addition, he sailed from San Diego to Hilo, Hawaii, and to the Virgin Islands with the racing team of Dan Doyle, Jack Gillespie, Jim Houey, and his son, Thomas. A disastrous race to Bermuda aboard his 50-foot sloop Santuary ended his sailing career in 2007. He and his wife raised Aberdeen Angus Cattle and horses at their farm, Rossmor, in Maryland. Dr. Simpson enjoyed golf and was a member of Baltusrol Golf Club for 42 years as well as a member of the Chester River Yacht and Country Club in Chestertown, Maryland. In addition he was a member of the New York Athletic Club Angler's, Nyackers, and Yacht Club and a former member of the Explorer's Club. A communicant of St. Henry's Church, he received the Brotherhood Award from the Bayonne Chapter of Christians and Jews in 1995 and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. In 1996, Dr. Simpson became a founding member of the Simpson Baber Foundation for the Autistic, which was recognized by Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalyn Carter at the Carter Institute in Atlanta for its work with the autism population. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the viewing the Funeral Home on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 - 4 & 7 - 9 PM. Mass Of Christian Burial will take place at St. Henry R.C. Church Bayonne, on Thursday at 9:30 AM. Interment to follow Holy Cross Cemetery. North Arlington. N.J. In lieu of flowers please make donations to: Simpson-Baber Autistic Foundation, PO Box 182, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. G. Keenen O'Brien Funeral Home, Inc. 984 Avenue C Bayonne, NJ 07002 (201) 339-0220

• http://obits.nj.com/JerseyJournal/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=121416495

• Dr Simpson's •Simpson Baber Foundation for the Autistic• could be found here:
• http://simpson-baber.org/index.html