Syble Mae (Mauldin Simpson) Self

October 9, 1941, to May 21, 2026

Syble loved God, her family, gardening, flowers, Diet Coke, and traveling the world with her husband Ken to places like Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. She was a faithful wife, occasionally stubborn, wonderful diet-conscious cook who hosted many large family reunions and extra-special large family dinners at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. She lived an honest simple life. She was guileless, thrifty, clean, a truth speaker, with a servant’s heart. She refused to sit on the sideline even with many challenging health issues including childhood polio, two brain tumor operations, and chronic kidney disease. And, despite her ailments, she also possessed usual physical strength for a woman.

Syble was born at home near Sheridan, Oregon, the fourth of seven children to Newt and Dorothy Mauldin. She attended school in Kings Valley, Hugo and Grants Pass, Oregon. She dropped out of high school to marry Lloyed Eugene Simpson on September 12, 1958. They had three children: Ricky, Rita and Kellie. Following their divorce in 1980 she attended a Christian singles group in Corvallis and met Kenneth Edward Self. That friendship led to marriage with Ken on December 22, 1985. Following their marriage Ken and Syble continued to live in Albany, Oregon.

To take care of her mother who had experienced a near-death heart attack, Syble bought a mobile home and had it set up next door. She later would take early retirement from OSU to help care for her mother, Dorothy. That lasted 17 years! In addition, during those years she also spent much time taking care of grandchildren while their parents worked.

Over the years Syble worked at Dairy Queen in Philomath, the Big O restaurant in Corvallis and Oregon State University. At Oregon State she was best known for her outstanding management of The Chocolate Treasury, the first campus expresso coffee shop. On Sundays, you might find her supporting Ken his Gideon ministry, providing her well-loved friendship bread for her Sunday school class, traveling with the Jordan Singers Southern Gospel Quartet, taking grandkids to church or helping with infants, Kindergartners, first or second graders during the church services. She also traveled on a short-term mission trip to Honduras to help build a church in San Pedro Sula and took two trips to Africa to visit Martin Ireri James a young man they supported from age eight all the way through college in Kenya with Compassion International.

Syble is survived by her husband Kenneth of 40 years; son Rick Simpson (Tami); daughter Rita Fillmore (Allan); daughter Kellie Simpson. She was preceded in death by her parents Alva Newton Mauldin and Dorothy Mae Mauldin, her siblings Alva Newton Mauldin Jr. (Sonny), James Mauldin, Joan Dishmon, Orville Benton (Benny) Mauldin, and Steve Mauldin. She is greatly missed by grandchildren Angie McPhee, Sean Fillmore, Rochelle Callison, Cole Simpson, Brandon Comer, Vanessa Comer, and numerous great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She will also be missed by the grandchildren on Ken’s side of the family: Charles Self, Kathleen Self, Josephine Self, Carson Fulford and Aspen Self and by Syble’s life-long friend Lois Chapman.

We would also like to thank the staff at Samaritan Albany General Hospital and Timberline Post Acute Skilled Nursing for their professional and compassionate care during these past three months. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Gideons International or Compassion International.