Council’s first woman mayor Mary Simpson was ‘kind, determined, formidable and an absolute lady’

Tributes have been paid to the first woman Mayor of Craigavon, who has been described as “determined” and a “great family woman”.
By Philip Bradfield
Published 24th Nov 2020, 15:45 GMT
Updated 24th Nov 2020, 16:02 GMT
Tributes have been paid to Mary Simpson, who was the first woman mayor of Craigavon Borough Council, in 1981.Tributes have been paid to Mary Simpson, who was the first woman mayor of Craigavon Borough Council, in 1981.
Tributes have been paid to Mary Simpson, who was the first woman mayor of Craigavon Borough Council, in 1981.

Portadown woman Mary Simpson, 88, died peacefully at hospital on Sunday.

Mrs Simpson was an election agent for the late Upper Bann MP Harold McCusker and served as a UUP councillor on Craigavon Borough Council from 1977-1989, becoming mayor in 1981.

Elected to the first NI Assembly in 1982, she served on the Environment Committee and was also Vice chair of the Education Committee.

Most Popular

Portadown UUP Alderman Ken Twyble described her as “a very good friend” whom he said was possibly the main person responsible for getting him involved in politics.

“I consider Mary as having confirmed my unionism,” he said. “She was a lovely person - you could never think of her hurting another person. She was very congenial and respected.”

Armagh UUP councillor Jim Speers described her as “an absolute lady”.

He added: “We were both elected as councillors in the same year and then I got to know her very well through the Ulster Unionist Party. Then we were also colleagues together in the assembly. She was a very formidable lady - and she was a lady - a very decent and upright woman.”

Her son Stanley also paid tribute.

“Mum was an extremely friendly people person,” he said. “Honest and decent, she loved people, loved to chat to them and was so kind.

“She was an absolutely fantastic mother and was a great family woman who had strong Christian beliefs and raised us all well. She was also very determined, if there was something to be done, She was thorough in all she did and she was always very kind.”

Mrs Simpson was also a member of the Southern Education and Library Board for two terms and served as a governor for several schools.

A past pupil of Portadown College, she joined the civil service at 16. She married her late husband Mervyn in her early twenties and had three children, Stanley, Colin and Elva. He passed away in 2000, aged 72.

A UUP spokesman said: “It is with great sadness we learn of the passing of Mary Simpson. She was a life-long member of the party who was committed to serving the needs of her local community. She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.”

• The wake and funeral will be strictly private.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor

Related topics:MayorCraigavon