Obituary of Sr. M. Veronica Simpson

Sr. M. Veronica (Barbara Ann) Simpson, 81, peacefully died June 11, 2022, at McAuley Hall Health Care Center, Watchung.  The private Funeral Mass will be held at St. Catharine of Siena Chapel at McAuley Hall Monday, June 20 at 11:00 AM, Rev. Jay Siceloff will officiate.  Burial follows at Holy Redeemer Cemetery, South Plainfield.  Higgins Home for Funerals, Watchung, is handling the arrangements.

Barbara Ann Simpson was born at St. Michael’s Hospital, Newark, NJ, the third child of Thelma and Fredrick Simpson on September 23, 1940.  She attended St. Agnes Grade School, Atlantic Highlands, grades 1 through 5, then completed her primary education at St. Mary’s School, New Monmouth.  After graduating from Middletown H.S., she held various jobs, including a short-order cook at a Rest Stop on the Garden State Parkway. 

Barbara Ann entered the Franciscan Servants of the Holy Child Jesus Congregation at Villa Maria, North Plainfield, NJ July 3, 1966, and a year later entered the Novitiate and became known as Sister Mary Veronica. On August 12, 1969, she Professed Temporary Vows. August 12, 1974, was admitted to Perpetual Profession.

During those early years of her training, she worked in various areas within the Nursing Home Facility, and in 1987, she successfully completed her training and was certified as a Nurses Aide, where she lovingly cared for the women in the Residents area as well as those in the Nursing Unit. She also worked for several years on Night Duty. Sr. Veronica was known for her kindness and compassion in her ministries, especially during the dying process.  She was loved by family members of the residents. 

Sr. Veronica is survived by her sister, Cecilia Ladd, her brother, Paul, and niece Valerie Strehl, and her husband Bill. She is preceded in death by her parents, Thelma and Fredrick Simpson, sisters: Gertrud Manning, Patricia Cunningham, and her brother, Fredrick. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.