Funeral services for Tana Brooke Simpson, 36, of Blanket will be held Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 2 PM at the Davis-Morris Funeral Home Chapel with burial to follow at Moro Cemetery. Ms. Simpson passed away on Friday, May 10 at Brownwood Regional Medical Center surrounded by family and many friends.
Tana was born on July 1, 1982; her parents are Terrie Tabor and Steve Simpson. She graduated in the top ten of her class at Brownwood High School in May of 2000. While in high school she was an honor student, president of her senior class, and active in Drama. She was friendly with all of her classmates and teachers and wore a smile and had fun most of the time. She found her niche in drama class and bonded with her classmate in those classes.
When Tana was 10, she was diagnosed with a very debilitating disease, Friedreich’s Ataxia, which was progressive and seemed to get worse very quickly. When she was in 8th Grade she had to go into a wheelchair. After Christmas break she did not want to go back to school because of the wheelchair, but friends from school came to her house and begged her to please come back to school. They quickly made “Tana’s Push Book” and wrote their names in it so she would be sure to have someone push her from class to class. She made many close friends.
In the fall of 2000 she entered Baylor University in Waco, along with several of her friends knowing that she would have a difficult time. In spite of all the hardships, she graduated from Baylor in August, 2005, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business. Following graduation she went to Europe with other business students and spent a semester studying. That trip was one of the highlights of her life.
Tana came back to live in Blanket so she would have her mom and family to care for her. But she was bored and wanted to be on her own so she moved to Austin. In Austin she had lots of fun going to South by Southwest and rubbing noses with stars who came to support their movies. When her heart doctor told her that she was in congestive heart failure and should not try to stay by herself, she returned to Blanket. She lived there until she left this life on Friday, May 10.
Tana is survived by her mother Terrie; her father Steve and wife Melissa; her sister Taylor and fiancé Johscott Dyer; and her brother Austin and wife Shaunna Kay. She is also survived by her maternal grandmother, Oneale Tabor; paternal grandmother, Patricia Janice Simpson and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins whom she loved dearly.
