Harry Simpson

August 14, 1912 - February 4, 2002

Harry R Simpson was born in Los Angeles, his parents were Edward and Frances Simpson. He was multi-talented; building and designing machinery for his business; painting decorations for his wife's kindergarten class, sketching portraits for school carnivals; entertaining schools, colleges, and churches with his ventriloquist dummy; farming an orange grove; repairing anything that was broken. Whatever the challenge, he was willing to tackle it.

He was a graduate of South Pasadena High School and then attended Pasadena City College. He graduated from Chouinard Art Institute and used his artistic talents throughout the years. He joined the Marine Corps prior to World War II and did cartooning for their publication, The Leather Neck. During World War II he expedited materials for the shipyards. In 1947, while attending St James Episcopal Church in South Pasadena, he met and married Leula Emley (SPHS '41), celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary in 2001.

Harry was an amateur performer in comedy acts at the church. He also was a ventriloquist with a dummy he made himself. In 1947 he went to work for Gladding McBean Company, staying as foreman of their decorative tile department for 13 years. In 1960 he moved to Riverside, California, and started his own decorative ceramic tile company. Simpson tile Company would not only provide a profitable use of his artistic talents but also his inventive nature. Many of the processes and equipment he designed himself. For movie producer Hal Bartlett and wife Rhonda Fleming, he hand-painted portrait tiles of celebrity friends and family. When the San Diego Santa Fe station was remodeled in 1983, he produced hand decorated tiles to match existing tile panels.

Harry is survived by his wife, Leula; daughter Carolynn Davis; sons Earl, Allen, and Ralph; sister, Frances Simpson Daigh (SPHS '38); and grandson Shane. Mr Simpson suffered from Parkinson's disease and pneumonia.

San Diego Union-Tribune, April 2, 2023