Wife of man killed by car: "He died doing what he loved."

Posted at: 11/20/2012 10:33 PM | Updated at: 11/20/2012 11:24 PM
By: Lynette Adams | WHEC.com

The family of a Rochester man says he died doing what he loved, helping someone. His widow tells News10NBC more about her husband and his final moments on Earth.

Lois Simpson is trying to make sense of the last 36 hours of her life. On Monday, Simpson says she and her husband were moving some items into her daughter's house on Joseph Avenue when he was hit by a car. Simpson was right there when it all happened.

Simpson said, “I don't even know if he saw what was happening. It happened so quickly, but I know when I saw her hit the back of the van the second time, I just ran around to the side of the car and there he was lying in the street bleeding from the head.”

Simpson says her husband, Artis Simpson, died at the hospital at midnight. Rochester Police have not issued tickets or charges related to the crash and say they are still investigating. Simpson says she's not angry and doesn't blame anyone, but she lost her best friend and the love of her life for the past 11 years.

Simpson said, “Artis was a phenomenal person. He was caring and funny and he did everything in his power to keep me happy..”

Simpson says her husband lived life fully, loved to watch television, enjoyed going to church, had a beautiful singing voice and was devoted to his family and friends. Artis Simpson was a Vietnam Veteran and worked at the Veterans Outreach Center as a field coordinator, then later as a counselor. Simpson says this was his passion.

Simpson said, “He would be out in the field trying to locate veterans so he could get them set up with jobs and housing and stuff like that.”

Lois Simpson says her husband beat death four times this year. That's the number of times he had been near death in the hospital. Somehow he fought back, but the last time was different.

Simpson said, “The Lord knows how much he'd been suffering and I think it was just his time.”

Lois says she wants her husband to be remembered as someone who was able to turn his life around and become a loving husband and devoted father. She says he struggled at one time in his life with alcohol abuse but was able to get help and change his life.

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