Leroy Simpson, 88, of State College, died October 20, 2008, at The Fairways at Brookline.
Born September 8, 1920 at St. Joseph, Missouri, he was the son of the late Leroy Q. Simpson and Ethel Hermanson.
He attended elementary and high school in Chicago and graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
He was recruited by Pan American Airways and moved to San Francisco. He was commissioned in the US Naval Reserve in 1943 to fly seaplanes on supply missions to strategic Pacific islands.
After VJ Day, he continued to fly Pan American commercial aircraft on Pacific routes to the Orient. In 1950, he transferred to managing engineering and training related to introduction of new aircraft - Boeing stratocruisers and later (1957-59) to B-707-4 and CD-8 jets. He was honorably discharged from the Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant in June 1961.
In 1947 he married Helen May Pederson in San Francisco. They had three children, Carol, Christine and Claudia.
In 1960, the year Pan Am consolidated its management in New York, he resigned and opted for partnership with a consulting firm in New York. In 1962 he promoted a project to "computerize" the traditional hand-make "flight plans" for airlines operating "jets" on Atlantic routes. He had many clients in the aviation industry - NYNJ Port Authority, Fort Worth-Dallas Airport Selection, CIA of Air America, Alatalia air craft selection, and more. In 1964 he became president of Aero Performance Inc. with four mainframe computers in a new building serving 28 airlines that flew routes around the world on 225,000 flight plans.
In 1975 he and Helen moved to Arlington, Virginia to join a new office of Dutch Company, Fokker Aircraft Co. as Vice President in Sales Engineering. He participated in sales of Jet Turbo-prop to airlines in the USA and Canada. He retired from Fokker in 1987.
His wife, Helen, of 43 years, died of cancer on March 26, 1993. In 1995 he moved to State College and married Dolores T. Dudley in a ceremony at the Centre Furnace Mansion on July 2, 1995.
He is survived by his wife, Dolores, his sister, Rosemary MacBird and niece, Bonnie MacBird of Los Angeles, by three daughters, Carol, wife of Roger Yee of Forest Hills, NY, Christine Simpson of Wilmington, VT, and Claudia Simpson of Baltimore, MD, two stepsons, Patrick Dudley and wife, Colleen of Collegeville, PA and Christopher Dudley of Baltimore and a step-daughter, Amanda Mitchell of Ardmore, PA plus five grandchildren, Philip and Eleanor Yee, Miranda and Eli Andrews, Amelia Dudley and three step-grandchildren, Katie, Brendan and Matthew Dudley.
He was co-captain of his boxing team at IIT. He was president of a Toastmaster Club in California and a Kiwanis Club in Virginia. He was an avid runner and ran in Senior Olympics in Virginia, D.C. and Vermont; his last entry was the Centre County Senior Games in the 80+ category. He volunteered for Meals on Wheels. He was an Associate Fellow of the AIAA for over 40 years.
The funeral will be at the convenience of the family.
A guest book can be signed or condolences sent to the family at www.heintzelmanfuneralhome.com