Gwendalyn Williams Simpson

Gwen was born on August 27, 1950, in Winter Haven, Florida, the youngest child of Arthur and Jimmie Lee Williams. In 1981, she married the love of her life Stanhope Simpson, and from this union their beautiful and loving daughter Barakah was born. In 2002, she was blessed with an addition to her family, her one and only lovely granddaughter, Balicya. Then in 2012, her devoted son-in-law, Lonnell, was added to the family. Gwen loved all her family members and enjoyed being around them throughout the years. Gwendalyn was educated in the Polk County school system and graduated from Winter Haven High School in 1970. She decided to move away from Florida to Michigan to live with her oldest sister and start a new career. She lived there for a couple of years before moving to New York, but seeing the need to be around her parents, she moved back home to Florida. She loved her parents and took very good care of them until their deaths. In fact, Gwen enjoyed caring for others so much that it caused her to take on a career in the medical field at Winter Haven Hospital, where she worked on the Pediatric floor. After becoming pregnant with her daughter, she developed a disability and was unable to return to work, which allowed her to take on her new full-time career as a Mother. She took on this role as being the “Greatest Mother of All Time”. She loved caring for her daughter with every ounce of her body, but the one thing she loved more than her daughter was God. In 1981 she was introduced to the Church of Christ by her dear friend, Curtis Wilkerson. Once she heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, she was baptized at 2nd Street Church of Christ in Winter Haven, Florida (now known as Hilltop Church of Christ). She remained a faithful servant there for 29 years, before moving to Orlando, Florida. For the next nine years she continued to serve the Lord even up until the last bible study she attended at Ninth Street Church of Christ, the night before her death. She lived every day in God’s presence and invited everyone she met to come and get to know Christ. She taught her daughter and granddaughter about the Power of God and being in the body of Christ and staying faithful until death. This was her Life. Gwendalyn Williams Simpson departed this life peacefully when God called her home on April 4, 2019. She will always be remembered as a loving, giving, caring mother and grandmother whose greatest passion was living for the Lord. She leaves behind tons of wonderful memories and words of encouragement as her great legacy to her daughter Barakah Smith; son-in-law Lonnell Smith; granddaughter Balicya Lisbon; two four-pawed dog-children, Suzy Q and Dave; three sisters, Navara Halsell, Corona Charles and Vondecia James; two brothers, Chester Howard and Arthur Williams Jr. (Annlee); nieces; nephews; great-nieces, great-nephews; cousins a host of other relatives and friends.

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Gwendalyn Williams Simpson

August 27, 1950 - April 4, 2019