Skip to main content

Love Letters for Ashley Simpson





It has been nearly a month since my cousin Ashley Simpson disappeared without a trace from her life in Salmon Arm, B.C. The RCMP continue to investigate, but there is still no sign of her.

The long weekend was very hard on the family. Ashley and her Dad run the catering for a longhouse up in Huntsville, Ontario, and they are supposed to start soon. They have been doing this for years, and now John feels great sadness in embarking on this journey on his own.

Instead of focusing on the negative, while we still have no news, Amanda Haverman and I are asking people to share their stories about Ashley, hoping to focus on all the goodness, light, fun, and hope she brought to this world.

John sent me this reference letter that Ashley received.

Ashley is a dedicated, productive, and intelligent worker who would be an asset in any work environment. She worked at our family camp this summer with her father preparing and serving 3 meals a day for 10 -20 people and did it with a calm capability that is not often seen in someone her age. She kept all of the public spaces at the camp neat and clean and cheerfully put up with less than stellar living arrangements.

She interacts well with people of all ages and the children especially loved her. All around she was a
pleasure to have around.


There were two particularly telling incidents this summer that underscored Ashley’s presence of mind
and dedication to her job. The first involved a renegade bear that kept approaching our camp over
several days. Ashley sounded the alarm on more than one occasion, made sure that everyone was
safely inside and then she scared the bear away by banging pots and pans. Second, due to a lost car
key there were several guests that had to stay over in camp for an extra night. Despite the fact that it
was on her one night off per week, she made sure that they had food for dinner and even prepared
breakfast the next morning.


We are hoping that Ashley will return to our camp next summer and for many more years beyond.


Sincerely, 
P.N.M.

Comments

  1. Such a nice reference letter. Really speaks to her great qualities. I so hope the family is able to find out what happened.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ashley Simpson: Don't Let Her Die in Vain

  Six years ago, I was combing through my Facebook and I saw post from my cousin Julie Major. Her brother and his wife were frantically looking for their daughter Ashley who just days before had Facetimed her mom saying she was planning to return to her home in Niagara. Ashley never made it home. She was murdered in cold blood in her home in Salmon Arm then buried in a nearby field. It would be five and a half years before her body was located, and her boyfriend was charged with second degree murder.  Today, Ashley's urn has a sacred spot in her parents' home, and Derek Favell is in jail awaiting trial by judge and jury. The trial is expected to go into next year sometime. This has been an agonizing journey for Ashley's friends and family. The pain has never stopped, and the wounds are broken open every time the family has to sit through a series of pre-trial proceedings. Fortunately, this ordeal will end but the pain will never wane for the people, including me, who have b...

Ashley Simpson: A Father Remembers

I have asked Ashley Simpson's family and friends to give us a glimpse into the life she lived before going missing nearly a month ago. Here is how her father John remembers his sweet girl. Ashley was a treat when she came into this world, a smashing 9lbs 8 ounces with a  head full of hair and nails that needed to be clipped. She has made many friends in her journey of life and continues to make them as we speak. She has made this world a better place by her love of mankind and this place we call Earth; unfortunately this life she has lived hasn't been the best for her. She has suffered through unbearable pain and suffering through her menstrual cycles. She has cysts on her ovaries that make those 10 days a living hell. She had one of her ovaries removed when she was just 14; the other they won't take out till she is 40 or older. Years of hell for my Ashley. I so feel her pain every month but she doesn't quit, doesn't give in.   That'...

What Bell isn't telling you about Fibe TV

Update: This week, we switched back to Rogers after spending far too long using Bell's crappy television service. For those with Bell, read and weep. For those considering Bell, think twice even if you hate Rogers. RS I've always been an early technology adapter. I had a Betamax. That tells you everything (if you're over 50 at least). My first computer was a "Portable". It weighed 40 pounds and I had to lug it around town on a gurney. I've been through probably 15 computers in my lifetime. Apple is the best. It's also too expensive so I have a piece of shit HP, the one I'm writing this blog on. I've had cable, internet and now Netflix. American Netflix . That's how far ahead of the curve I am. I get all the newspapers for free. How? I disabled my cookies so they can't track me when I'm on the newspaper sites. Even the New York Times hasn't cottoned on to that trick. Hahaha. That will be a fifty buck consulting fee. Bein...