Ann Simpson died early Friday morning in her daughter’s arms.
She was 94.
“I lifted up the shade and the moon bathed Mom in the moonlight,” said Ann’s daughter Sue Simpson Gallagher. “I walked over and cuddled up to her and held her, and she died.”
Sue remembers her mother as the most beautiful woman, “inside and out, that ever lived.”
Ann was a mother of three, a wife of 70 years to prominent Wyoming political figure and late U.S. Sen. Al Simpson.
Her son Colin Simpson said she was unafraid and even optimistic about dying. She’d been diagnosed with an illness about two months earlier, he said.
“She made us all aware that she did not fear death at all,” said Colin. “She was a Christian and had great faith, and was very at peace with the end of her life.”
Her great hope encouraged those grieving around her, he said.
But the loss is still heartbreaking, the family said.
“We lost a person who really understood all of us,” said Sue. “She was on our team.”
Ann’s grandson Nick Simpson interjected that “she was half the damn team.”
Sue laughed through tears.
Colin said the late couple both had a close connection with the moon.
Al Simpson died on the full moon and lunar eclipse of March 14, 2025. Ann died after the buck moon.
Alan Simpson served in the United States Senate from 1979 until 1997. Simpson and his wife, Ann, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2024. (Courtesy Sue Simpson Gallagher) 
Sue Simpson Gallagher and her brothers, Colin and Bill, hosted an ice cream social in Cody on June 21, 2024, to celebrate the 70th wedding anniversary of their parents, Alan and Ann Simpson. (Ruffin Prevost for Cowboy State Daily) 
Al and Ann Simpson on their 70th wedding anniversary in June 2024. (Buzzy Hassrick, Cody Enterprise) 
Al and Ann Simpson were married for more than 70 years. She sits in the front pew at Christ Episcopal Church in Cody for her husband's memorial service Monday, March 31, 2025. (Courtesy Wyoming PBS)
Al’s ‘Gorgeous Gal'
Ann Schroll caught Al’s eye her freshman year at the University of Wyoming, said Pete Simpson. His brother Al fell for that “gorgeous gal,” and the pair married in 1954.
She became a mother, a powerful influence on the whole family, and a force even in Washington, D.C., Pete reflected. He said her beauty and “way of treating people” paused the frantic clockwork at the U.S. Capitol, when she crossed a hallway.
She backed her husband and exuded confidence even in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, he said.
“She was a marvelous mom and a marvelous citizen — and a great inspiration for us,” said Pete. “We’re going to miss her like fire.”
Pete, who turned 96 Friday, said he misses his brother as well.
“It’s hard to see both of them gone.”
Alan Simpson was one of Wyoming’s most well-known political figures, having served in the Legislature and Congress.
A champion of bipartisanship who said a person should “do what’s right … and have thick skin,” he also was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.
For him, Ann was “all the woman that is, and ever was,” said Sue. “And her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and family would agree.”
He was from Cody. She grew up on a small farm in Greybull.
Time the pair spent in Germany during Al’s army career led Ann to start the first American Field Service study abroad program in Cody. The program allowed Wyoming youth to travel abroad, while bringing students from around the world to Wyoming.
Ann was a mental health advocate, and a champion of the arts
Her twin sister, Nan Fogel Thorne, died last November, with family members by her side, said Colin.
“She said, ‘That’s how I want to go,’” he said.
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso said in a Friday statement that Wyoming was fortunate to learn from the couple.
“They made a legendary team, always working together to make Wyoming and Washington a better place,” said Barrasso. “We take comfort that she is reunited with her beloved Al once again.”
Diana Enzi, wife of the late Sen. Mike Enzi, reflected on Ann’s sense of humor and remembered her as “a gracious lady, a real role model for our state.”
“I learned a lot from her,” Diana added.
Cowboy State Daily contributor Coy Knobel contributed to this report.
