Creative, an out-of-the-box thinker, self-taught, and a prodigious talent, Jean’s artistic sense touched everything he did. From building our log cabin to conceiving and building the wolf garden, with its waterfall, ponds, streams, and trees (as well as all the other animal gardens),everything he did had a sense of proportion, beauty, and connection with the natural world.
He was laid to rest on Earthfire land during an exquisite autumn equinox weekend, with sun-warmed air and cool breezes, as puffy clouds floated slowly in the blue sky. He was lowered gently into the ground in a plant fiber casket to his favorite music, Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Iz and Halleluiah by Leonard Cohen. On top of the casket were flowers and a quilt, hand-sewn by his mother many years ago, of him and I in a meadow.
Some years ago, we were given a ceremonial gong tuned to the heart chakra to mark the passing of a soul, which we placed near his gravesite. At the end of the ceremony, we struck it three times, sending a deep, resonant, beautiful sound vibrating throughout the land.
He lies in rest by our animal cemetery, beneath golden trees on the edge of our wildlife corridor, facing east towards the Tetons. It was a lovely, respectful ceremony suffused with a feeling of peace. This was his home, one he built with his heart and soul, and this is where he wanted to be laid, on the land he loved, beneath the trees he loved, next to his beloved animals. At noon, as he was being buried, his family in France held a mass for him, and people around the country lit candles and said prayers. I know his spirit will bless and protect this place he loved.
I walked towards Jean with the still, limp form of Shera, the little red hen, in my arms to tell him she had just passed. “I know,” he said. “She told me she would be leaving this world soon.” He said it matter of factly, as if it were normal, never realizing how extraordinary he was. His intimate connection with animals and nature was just how he lived. When asked the secret of his connection, he said, simply, “Trust. I trusted them and they trusted me.”
Condolences poured in from around the country. Modest, Jean would have been greatly surprised at the profound impact his life and connection with animals had on people, the gift he gave to so many, opening us to a different, beautiful possibility for relating to the wild ones. The essence of Earthfire’s vision.
We will make a lovingly crafted wooden bench for his gravesite with a view of the Tetons for people who want to meditate or pay their respects over the coming years. When the time comes, I will be laid next to him.
The headstone will be of light gray granite, engraved with:
Jean M. Simpson, 1951-2024
Animal Whisperer
Deeply Loved
He was Something
His legacy will be honored and continued.