“My apartment here is my safe and happy place.” The leader of a chair yoga class asked participants to close their eyes and visualize a space where they feel calm and happy and safe. “The place that came into my mind almost unbidden was my apartment here at Simpson House,” says Mary Lynn Williams, who moved to the community in June 2022 after spending two pandemic years with her daughter and son-in-law in Italy. “My apartment is mine. I answer to no one; I make all the decisions. I close the door and I am safe.”  Says Mary Lynn. From

“I love all the staff here… always smiling and friendly.” When Vera DeShields’ son, Charles, persuaded her to move back to Philadelphia to be closer to his Drexel Hill home, she looked at Simpson House, where her aunt is a resident. She liked the location and the availability of different levels of care should she need them. “Having been in healthcare, I know how things can go when you get older,” says Vera, who now lives in an apartment in the community’s historic Olde Main building. “They have the services and programs to meet my needs.” She also became friendly

“People are friendly here. The staff is empathetic and they listen.” Although Loretta Maley had driven past Simpson House for 50 years, she didn’t get to know and appreciate what it offered until after her husband passed. That’s when she and a neighbor started visiting communities. Loretta found Simpson to be an affordable option. She also loved the diversity of the community she found at Simpson House—a quality she experienced during the decade she spent teaching English at Overbrook High. “That was an incredible experience—something I never imagined,” she says. “I have found that here—the friendliness. “You never know what

“There is lots of diversity here, which I find very attractive. The residents are friendly and interesting. ” Dedicated to making a difference Freda Egnal has social justice in her genes. In the 1930s, her parents helped unionize Philadelphia teachers. Freda had a long career as a social worker and community organizer, and for 40 years served as a block captain and committee person for West Philadelphia’s 46th Ward. “I love being involved in activities and organizations that make the world a better place,” says Freda. “I got very engaged with the people I worked with and made an impact.”

A life of learning with the Lord Michelle Barton was born on May 10, 1949 with her twin brother Michael, in Philadelphia, PA. Her parents were Emith...

Rev. David G. Kegler, M.Div. BCC Many people of faith say there are no coincidences. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Rev. David G. Kegler, M.Div. BCC, finds himself in the position of Director of Spiritual Care and Lead Chaplain at Simpson House. Not only has Reverend Kegler known of the community his whole life, but his grandmother moved to Simpson House in 2010 and lived here until she passed five years later.

“If these walls could talk….” It’s a thought you might often have as you stroll through the English Gothic “Olde Main” building on the Simpson House Belmont Avenue campus. The late 19th-century structure has seen its share of history, but the story of Simpson House, Simpson’s oldest community, predates the building.

Artist She’s Called Simpson House Home Since 2021 The fine art of doing what you love Creative people bring their visions to life. Those dreams might become drawings or paintings—or they might manifest as opportunities for others. Judy Ballinger, a resident of Simpson House since 2021, is creative in all those ways and more.