The Lord showed mercy upon June Akers Simpson, age 86, and called her home on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025.
Born into a loving and hardworking family, June (affectionately known as “Junebug”) was the daughter of Emily Reinhart (Fechtmann) Mather and Percy DeWitt Mather, who were married on Mar. 12, 1937. The Mather family lived on a dairy farm in East Moriches, Long Island, before relocating to Mattituck in 1955. They began selling milk under the Woodlawn Dairy name and later became proud owners of their own operation, Mather Dairy. It was truly a family effort – June and her sisters, Joan, Joyce, and Jane, often helped deliver milk door to door, occasionally sneaking in a joy ride in the milk truck.
June met her first husband, Thomas Adie Akers, at the Strawberry Festival while he was stationed at a Long Island Air Force base. They married in August 1959, and soon began a life filled with love, family, and global adventures. They welcomed their son, Thomas Adie Akers II, in July 1960, and daughter, Donna Lynn, in 1964. When Tom was stationed overseas, June courageously flew to Turkey with their two young children to join him – a bold move that led to unforgettable memories. While living abroad, June learned some Turkish, rode a camel, walked in the River Jordan, toured the Holy Lands, and made a home in a new and unfamiliar land.
The Akers family later moved to California, Minnesota, and finally settled in West Virginia near Tom’s family. There, June worked at the Alderson Federal Prison Camp for Women, famously known as the facility that housed Martha Stewart. Always passionate about learning, June later attended Marshall University and earned her degree in Library Science. She found great joy in her work as she helped open the Alderson Library, and she also cherished her time singing in the church choir.
In 1990, June moved to Charlottesville, VA, where she met her second husband, Randolph “RE” Simpson, at the University of Virginia. Their love story began at a local singles club where June boldly asked RE to dance while his date was in the ladies’ room. They were married for 35 beautiful years. Together, they enjoyed camping, fishing, biking, and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains on their motorcycles. At the age of 60, June surprised everyone – especially RE and her children – taking a motorcycle class and purchasing a hot cycle of her own. She and RE rode to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and took road trips across Florida, Tennessee, and the Badlands of South Dakota.
June is survived by her beloved husband, RE Simpson; her son, Dr. Thomas Adie Akers II, and his wife Kathy, along with their children, Nate and Kristen Akers; her daughter, Donna Akers Casanave, and husband Paul; and her grandchildren, Angela (and husband Zac Stilwell), Karly (and husband Jonny Phillips), and Paul “PJ” Casanave. She was also blessed with great-grandchildren, Finnley Thomas and Regan Adie Stilwell. June is survived by two sisters, Jane Mather Armbrust and Janis Mather Gordon.
A funeral service will be held Friday, Aug. 22, at 11 a.m. at Wells/Sheffield Funeral Chapel in Lovingston, VA, with Paster Ely Guzman officiating. Interment will follow in the Ridgecrest Baptist Church Cemetery in Lovingston. Family and friends may call one hour prior to the service.
Condolences and memories can be signed in the virtual guestbook at www.WellsSheffield.com
Arrangements by Wells/Sheffield Funeral Chapel, Lovingston, VA.
(434-263-4097)
