Fritz

I learned today that Fritz Simpson passed away. He was one of my father's best friends. I like to think of them hanging out together today - Dad greeting Fritz, showing him around the joint (whatever that might be). Fritz will call him Bullock - because he always did. Dad called him Fritty. Buddies!

Fritz followed his father into the newspaper biz. They owned the Atlantic News Telegraph - we liked to call it "The ANT". It was a great small town daily paper. I remember touring it with the Girl Scouts. I loved seeing the printing press. My pal Robyn's dad Robert worked for the ANT as an ad rep. There were several reporters that one got used to seeing around town covering stories.

In the small world department, after I moved away, Fritz hired a young reporter fresh out of journalism school at the University of Iowa - Larry Peterson. In Atlantic Larry met Deb Imming who worked at the YMCA after graduating from UNI. Love bloomed - they married in 1982, the year Paul and I did. Later they moved to Creston when Larry took a job with the Creston News Advertiser - and Deb became my BFF, their children are our kids' ages. One degree of separation - Fritz.

Simpson clan - with Fritz's dad

Fritz's wife Sue died before my mom. She was one of Mom's bridge club pals. Their son Ted is my age - and was my 8th grade boyfriend. Daughter Mary Sue is a couple years younger than I am. We were all on the swim team together. Plus our fams hung out some - because of the friendship between our families. Simpsons had a boat and they liked to go boating on the Missouri with Deters on weekends. If the boatless Bullocks were lucky they'd get invited too.


Ted Simpson shared this pic of Mom from boating

RIP Fritz. Hope you're hanging with the gang someplace fun.