Dorothy Thurber Robbs Simpson

December 7, 1922 – December 4, 2014

Dorothy Thurber was born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to Colonel Philip Thurber and Muriel Thurber. She lived in N.Y., Kansas, Hawaii, and Seattle, before graduating from St. Nicholas H.S. on Capitol Hill. Moving to Baltimore, she became a debutant, and a graduate of Goucher College.

She met her first great love, Charles “Gene” Robbs while visiting West Point for a dance, and they were married in 1944 in Dallas, Texas.

Gene flew as a Command Pilot with the 100th Bomb Group (US Army Air Corps) during the war, and was then stationed in Germany. Dottie was on the first ship to Europe after WWII, where she was reunited with Gene. Her first son, Charles was born in Germany and two years after that, Philip arrived in Texas. They lived all over the world with the US Air Force: Texas, West Point, Oklahoma, Japan, Virginia and finally Norway, where Gene died in 1967.

Dottie returned to Seattle, and soon met and married the second great love of her life, Robert W. Simpson, MD in 1968. They made their home on Mercer Island and enjoyed 46 years together gardening, playing tennis, power boating, bird hunting, snow skiing, traveling the world. They cherished each winter on Maui, and each summer in Desolation Sound. Both Bob and Dottie were longtime supporters of Crystal Mountain, Seattle Yacht Club, Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera and Seattle Art Museum, as well as Children’s and Swedish Hospitals.

She recently resided in Covenant Shores, and passed from Alzheimer’s disease on Dec. 4, ten months after Bob died at 98.

She is survived by her two sons – Charles and Philip, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren as well as three step sons (Rob, David and Peter Simpson) and their families.

There will be a private family graveside service.

Remembrances/memorials should be made to the Western

and Central Washington Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.