I wish to speak about Don, the man. He was easy in his own skin and therefore easy in his meetings with other people. Whatever he was involved in, soon "Mr Simpson" was dropped and "Don" substituted. He was kind, funny, interesting and lived life to the full. He particularly enjoyed the company of the youngest members of the family, and was proud of his sons and daughters-in-law

Don always wanted to be a teacher, and although he became a headmaster, his great joy was the classroom and his pupils, many of whom still remember the Spanish holidays he organised in the 60s.

After he retired he joined up with his brother Peter and his great friend Reg to form their own geriatric walking club. By all accounts they roamed the hills of Northumberland very much in the manner of the actors in "Last of the Summer Wine".

Although he travelled both in this country and abroad, from 1947 when he first visited the Lake District, that was his favourite place and he would dearly have loved to have gone there once more before he died. But it was unfortunately not to be.

There he is, a man who will be sorely missed by us all.