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By Lois Thomson

Warm. Gentle. Loving. Creative. Loved kids. Even-tempered. Good mom. Dedicated to the church.  Dedicated to her family. These are the words often used to describe Lisa Simpson, but more than that, everyone agrees that she left this world far too soon.  

A photo of Lisa Simpson, who now has a scholarship named in her honor.

Kristen Horgan receives the first ever ‘Lisa Simpson Scholarship’ from Judy Mills.

Simpson was a preschool teacher at St. Valentine School (now Our Lady of Hope), in Bethel Park, for more than 15 years, but she passed away in February 2022 at the age of 54. However, she won't be forgotten because a scholarship has been set up in her memory to be awarded annually to one of her students.

Judy Mills was Simpson's boss – the director of the preschool, and also taught with her.  Mills said Simpson, "was my best friend, the type of person that once you met her, you wanted to be around her as much as you possibly could." However, Mills appreciated not only her friendship, but also her dedication to her position. "She put her heart and soul into it.  The families loved her, the kids adored her, she was creative, she brought out the curiosity in the kids, she was really a remarkable person.  I'm very blessed to have known her."

The idea for the scholarship came from Carol Vater.  Mills retired in August, and in addition to being director of the school, she ran the concession stand for St. Valentine's Tuesday night Bingo games.  As Vater explained, "They were looking for someone to take over, and that's when the lightbulb went on.  I said, 'I will do this if we can use the money for a scholarship.'  Every Tuesday night I prepare the food, but I have a lot of great helpers.  All the profits go into the scholarship fund."

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have attended St. Valentine preschool and had Simpson as their teacher.  They must plan to attend a four-year college or university in the fall, and must also submit a short essay on why compassion, curiosity, or honesty is important in the world today – qualities that promote Simpson's legacy.

Kristen Horgan was the winner of the first scholarship and she received $4,000 toward her schooling.  Mills said it was very difficult to choose, but she, along with two others, reviewed the applications, and she said, "We narrowed it down to Kristen because her essay was “so Lisa”, so humble, so giving; it was really something."  She added, "I think this is a beautiful tribute to Lisa. She would be humbled that it was happening for her memory."

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