Power couple nears milestone: Groom turns 100 this week, bride to reach 100 in July

Mar. 8—ASHLAND — Ross and Ruby Simpson are approaching milestones: He will turn 100 on Tuesday; her 100th birthday will come in July; and they have been married 75 years.

But together, the two have accomplished even more.

Ashlander Ross Simpson, who was the youngest master plumber in the state at 19, joined the U.S. Marines and, after basic training in the early 1940s, was sent to Chicago to learn mechanical engineering, daughter Gale Barton said. He was part of the U.S. military's island-hopping strategy in the Pacific, in which troops took over an island and established a military base there. Barton said Simpson worked on airplanes.

"He's always been fascinated with airplanes," Barton said. "He got his first camera when he was in high school and he took pictures of planes when they flew over."

Simpson met his future wife while he was in school in Chicago.

"Mom is front that area and worked in downtown Chicago," Barton said, her mother worked at an insurance exchange as a secretary. "They met at a USO, where mom and some of her friends volunteered. They brought potluck dishes so the men could have homecooked meals."

After they married, the couple settled in Ashland, where Simpson took over his uncles' plumbing company, Smith Brothers Plumbing and Heating Co. He joined the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 248, as he ran a union shop that did so much commercial work union membership was required for him and his employees.

"After the war, there were a lot of construction needs," Barton said.

Mrs. Simpson had a hand in the business, too, taking care of the books.

While Simpson had the plumbing business, he employed Robert Griffith, who worked for him for 60 years before buying the business when Simpson retired.

"He's one of the greatest fellows ever was," Griffith, 81, said. He said his former boss taught him the intricacies of the job.

"He always said, 'The man that knows how will always have a job. The man that knows why will be the boss,'" Griffith said. "He would make you take something apart and make you see why a part needed to be replaced. He was a super, super teacher. He was an engineer."

He said working in Simpson's shop was like working with family and he always looked out for his employees.

"We were family," Griffith said. "When the union would strike and we'd have to picket our own company, we'd work right on through doing anything but the trade — sweeping up, painting, anything — so we could keep food on the table."

When the union marked its 100th anniversary in 2016, Simpson was its oldest member. The civic-minded plumber was well known throughout the state, which is why he was asked to participate on the committee to write the plumbing code for the commonwealth of Kentucky.

The code is a set of rules and regulations aiming to make the work safe and to avoid accidents and spread of disease.

Barton recalls her father's work for the state.

"It was updated in the 1950s. I remember him going down to meetings in Frankfort or Louisville when the committee updated the whole code," she said. "He was involved with the state association of plumbing contractors and worked with the Kentucky Health Department.

"We would go down quarterly. It was a big treat to go to Frankfort or Louisville."

Barton said he stayed up-to-date by doing a lot of reading on his occupation during his down time.

Simpson also is known for being on the committee that founded Greenbo Lake State Park.

"Some of the men from Ashland decided there was no public recreation area in eastern Kentucky," Barton said. "Feeling it was always ignored by the state, they formed a committee and did fundraising and searched locations and found an area where they could put a dam and flood the hollows. After it was established, the state took it over as a state park."

He also helped establish the Ashland Area YMCA.

Barton said until three years ago, her father golfed twice a week, developing an interest when he was a boy who caddied.

The Simpsons have traveled extensively. Barton said her parents, who were "never apart," were probably most fascinated with Tibet.

"They were proud that they were the oldest on their trip," she said. "They also were the only ones who didn't get mountain sick and end up in the hospital."

Travel, like everything in Simpson's life, has been well documented. Barton said her father enjoyed videoing his travel experiences. He also has kept a comprehensive collection of documents, evidence of his accomplishments and experiences.

She said she believes the key to her parents' long and happy marriage is their friendship. She said their advice on a long life would include moderation in all things.

A small family get-together is planned for his birthday; his daughter, Gale Barton, said she's glad they had a bigger party last year because the COVID-19 pandemic cut down the guest list. She said her father is eager to be able to get out and, for his birthday, wants to be able to walk around somewhere, such as inside his favorite stores.

Mayor Matt Perkins is expected to declare March 9 Ross Simpson Day in Ashland.

(606) 326-2661 — lward@dailyindependent.com