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Sedgwick County, Kansas

DESPONDENT COUPLE DIE TOGETHER

MURDER, SUICIDE BLAMED ON WIFE'S ILLNESS

A Wichita man, unable to cope with his wife's illness, shot her once in the head, then turned the gun on himself, police said Tuesday.

The bodies of Hazel and J. Berwyn "Berry" Simpson were found Tuesday afternoon inside their immaculately kept home at 753 S. Rutan. She was 72. He was 68. Police said they think that Simpson shot his wife, then himself, on Monday.

"They were just damn nice people", Ed Matteson said, wiping the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. "It was just a case of despondency."

Matteson has lived since 1941 at 752 S. Rutan, across the street from where the Simpsons had lived since 1938. Police found their bodies lying next to each other in the basement of the home.

Simpson was in his pajamas, his wife was in her housecoat. Their eyeglasses were placed neatly on separate tables.

In Simpson's bedroom, police found a note addressed to his son in California. In another room, police found an opened phone book with the son's name underlined.

In the note, police said, Simpson explained how his wife couldn't eat anything solid and he was growing weary of fixing her soup every night. According to Matteson, Hazel Simpson suffered a severe stroke about six weeks ago.

Simpson said in the note that his wife refused to go to a rest home or a hospital, police said. Simpson also wrote in the note that he wanted his body and his wife's cremated, police said.

Matteson, who lived across from the Simpson's since 1941, said Simpson had been depressed since Hazel's stroke.

"I can't even believe it," said Matteson, 65, grinding another cigarette butt, adding it to four or five others at his feet.

"She (Hazel) had been a nurse and was such a wonderful person," Matteson said. "If anyone in the neighborhood was sick, she was like an angel of mercy."

Matteson said Berry Simpson worked at Boeing for many years and later worked at Wesley Medical Center. He said that Simpson had been greatly upset by the death of his twin brother in Minneapolis three years ago and by the death of another brother in California last year.

"He cracked up," Matteson said softly. "He cracked up."

"Sometimes you're so close to people you don't see it. If they had needed help," Matteson said, "The neighborhood....we would have done anything for him."

It was Matteson and another neighbor who discovered the bodies and called police. Matteson said he became worried about the Simpsons when he saw their newspaper on the driveway and couldn't reach them by phone.

"He (Simpson) always picked up his newspaper cause he read the stock page," Matteson said, explaining that Simpson owned many securities.

Matteson and his friend peered into the windows of the house to see whether was couple was home. They then went to the front door, Matteson said, which was unlocked.

After searching the house for a few minutes, Matteson said his friend called out. The Simpsons were downstairs.

"I touched Hazel and felt she was cold," Matteson said. "There was blood all over the floor but it was black."

Matteson said he called police.

"It was the hardest call I ever had to make in my life. I knew them since they were kids," Matteson said, picking some dead leaves off the hood of his car. "She was so strong willed, her will to live was so great."
(Wichita Eagle-Beacon ~ Wednesday ~ 26 Nov 1980)