There are many benefits to having a parent in their 90s. The danger, of course, is that we think they are going to be here forever.
As all of Wyoming knows by now, former U.S. Sen. Alan K. Simpson died early on March 14 at the age of 93-and-a-half.
His set of services began Thursday in Cheyenne with Simpson lying in state in the State Capitol, and ended Monday in Cody, his hometown, with a stopover in Laramie on Saturday.
I have thoughts on all of that, but because everybody gets to tell their own Al stories, I have a couple of my own.
Al is just two days older than Peggy Jane the Mom, and every time I saw him, he would start out by asking, “How is your dear mom?”
Apparently he did this with everyone, but it was special to me.
Before someone decided he should get out of the cold and watch the Pokes in the movie theater-esque warmth of the Wildcatter Suites, his football tickets for decades were on the lower west, with the rest of us common folk.
Many a game, we would enter at the same time at the northwest ramp.
When the mighty Texas Longhorns and arrogant Mack Brown came to town, Texas decided they needed their entrance to the field reconfigured and blocked Wyoming fans from entering. Big Al stood right next to me while we waited, and he was miffed at the hook ‘em arrogance.
When the Packers played those guys in orange and blue in Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego, Dad came to the room one afternoon with a problem.
It wasn’t easy to get to him with ticket requests, but apparently Big Al figured out how to get to Big Fritz at the eleventh hour. Was there any way he could get tickets? He’d love to bring the family.
Dad was conflicted, because his stock answer of “sorry, I just can’t help you,” didn’t seem right for a legendary Wyoming dude.
So he got him the tickets and those damned Broncos, led by their horse-tooth helicoptering quarterback, had a few more fans in San Diego that day.
And finally, when the senator’s last book was published, I decided too late that I needed one for Mom.
I contacted Don Hardy, longtime Simpson staffer and dear friend of Al, and asked if there was any way he might be able to get one personalized to my mom.
It appeared almost immediately, along with a handwritten note to me from Al about how I should know that I could go to him anytime for anything.
We miss him and his brother, Pete, who served for years as the emcees/joke tellers at the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame banquet each September.
Rockies color commentator and UW Hall of Famer Jeff Huson has that role now and does a fantastic job, but those two tall dudes from Cody with their own unique road show will always be remembered fondly.
Now for some thoughts on the Simpson farewell events.
First, a huge thanks to Wyoming PBS for televising Saturday’s celebration of life and Monday’s memorial service in their entirety without commentary.
I really wanted to go to the AA in Laramie on Saturday, but since I am in the half-healed stage, I am not quite ready for a five-hour car ride and two hours, 55 minutes in a plastic chair.
The celebration of life began the only way it could have, with Western Thunder Marching Band playing “Ragtime Cowboy Joe.”
Fourteen speakers recounted in great detail Al’s love for his wife of 70 years, Ann, his family, Wyoming, his country, and the University of Wyoming.
“He was the Cowboy Code before we had the Cowboy Code,” said Sen. John Barrasso. “He was our native son, our North Star, our rock star.”
Erskine Bowles, who led the Simpson-Bowles Commission with Sen. Simpson, recalled the first time he met the 6-foot-7 verbose Simpson.
“I swear to God I thought I’d met my crazy uncle in the attic,” he said.
Liz Cheney recounted some hilarious stories about Simpson on the campaign trail with the Bush-Cheney ticket.
Mostly, she said, when Al showed up, inexperienced young staffers stood in the back of the room, panicked about what he might say.
Others among the 14 speakers included Wyoming governors Mark Gordon, Matt Mead and Mike Sullivan, Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman, UW president Ed Seidel and former president Phil “Prairie Gold” Dubois; AOL founder Steve Case, former Simpson staffer Mike Tongour, who represented the hundreds of devoted former staffers; Al’s older brother, Pete and Al’s middle child, Colin Simpson, who vowed never to be the 14th speaker out of 14 again.
Nearly three hours after it began, the celebration concluded with a video of Al and Pete, in Wyoming brown satin jackets, singing, “Come On, Wyoming!” the fight song written by their mother, Lorna Kooi Simpson.
On Monday, a much more intimate memorial service was held at the Simpson family church of multiple generations, Christ Episcopal Church.
Grandchildren took turns reading from the Bible, sharing poems, reading letters from their Granddad and telling some of his favorite jokes: the ones appropriate for telling in church.
Al’s nephew Milward Simpson and his siblings sang an a capella version of “Amazing Grace.”
All three of Al and Ann’s children spoke: Bill, Colin and Sue Simpson Gallagher.
Pete Simpson spoke, determined to rise from a wheelchair to a lectern for the second time in three days.
And country music star Clint Black introduced himself by saying, “Hello, my name is Clint Black and I’m am Al-caholic.” He then sang his 2005 song, “Back Home in Heaven,” an absolutely perfect choice.
I pray to God that Ann gets a nap.
I pray her kids and grandkids can take a deep breath.
We will all miss that smart, decent, hilarious rascal of a guy, Al Simpson.
How lucky were we to have him for 93-1/2 years? Damn lucky.
Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at: SallyAnnShurmur@CowboyStateDaily.com
