Saturday, February 06, 2010
Charles Simpson: Builder was a regional fixture
Charles Simpson, 84, who founded an area home-building business, died Monday.
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Charles Simpson wasn't a handy man, but he loved building houses. Under his direction, the company that he founded in 1959 built 1,000 homes throughout the Roanoke Valley.
"What he liked the most was watching the houses go up," said his son, Roger Simpson.
Charles Simpson, 84, died Monday after a seizure. He was recovering from a stroke.
Though he was well beyond retirement age, Simpson never retired from the business of building traditional single-family houses, mostly constructed of brick, a material he believed was sound and long-lasting.
His family and friends said those very qualities exemplified his life.
The World War II Navy veteran, born in Buchanan, started his career in insurance and selling real estate. But he learned that he wasn't a salesman.
"He would rather build the house and let somebody buy it," said Roger Simpson, who worked in the family business, Charles R. Simpson Inc., known as Simpson Home Builders, along with his father.
Charles Simpson founded his company in Roanoke County. Some of its noteworthy communities include Karen Hills in Salem, Huntridge in Roanoke County, and a subdivision currently under construction in Vinton called Edgefield.
But Simpson did not drive the nails. While his son ran the office, Simpson spent his time on the building field, where he could direct and coordinate.
"He believed in hiring people that knew what they were doing," said Roger Simpson, who joined his father at the company in 1971.
Dick Simpson, Charles Simpson's other son, also worked with the family business, selling real estate.
Charles Simpson was a fixture in the local home builders association. He was named builder of the year in 1975 and 1985 for the Roanoke Valley Home Builders Association, which now is the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association. He was elected president of the group in 1974, and he was inducted into its hall of fame in 1999.
He also represented the Roanoke region and Virginia on state and national home builders association boards.
Melody Williams, executive vice president of the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association, said Simpson had a kind and consistent demeanor.
"He had extremely high integrity, very true to his word, and so many people held him in such high esteem," she said.
Despite the challenges that some families experience working together in business, Roger Simpson described working with his father as "the perfect scenario."
"We never had one argument about how to do something," he said. "It would always work out. It was never a matter of walking away from the table."
One local home builder, Andy Kelderhouse, president of Fralin & Waldron, said Charles Simpson had an untarnished reputation among his peers.
Aside from home building, Simpson had other passions. He enjoyed flying his four-passenger, single-engine airplane, a Beechcraft Musketeer, to the beach and to other destinations. He also was a longtime member of Oak Grove Church of the Brethren in Roanoke County.
He is survived by numerous family members, including his wife of 65 years, Naomi Simpson.
