John S. Simpson; Retired Locomotive Engineer

John S. Simpson, who worked as a locomotive engineer for Southern Pacific railroad for 36 years, has died in Lancaster. He was 84.

Simpson worked for the railroad company from 1936 until his retirement in 1972, running steam and diesel engines between Bakersfield and Santa Barbara.

A resident of Lancaster, Simpson died July 8 of complications related to heart surgery, said his wife, Georgia.

Born July 28, 1905, in Loup City, Neb., Simpson moved to Colorado as a child. He worked for a local railroad company until he moved to California in 1931. He was a shovel operator for a mining company in Landsberg before being hired by Southern Pacific railroad in Bakersfield. In 1946, he moved to Los Angeles, living in Eagle Rock until he moved to Lancaster when he retired.

Simpson always carried a pocketful of candy and often let children ride on the engine and blow the whistle, said his brother, Odis Simpson. He was also a longtime member of Los Angeles Masonic Lodge No. 290, Al Malaikah Shrine Temple and the Scottish Rite Temple in Los Angeles.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years; brothers, Odis Simpson of Yuma, Ariz., and Warren Simpson of Carson City, Nev.; and sisters, Mary Capson of Las Vegas, Etta Rector of Trona, Calif., and Jodell Murphy of Culver City.

A funeral was held this week, followed by a private burial.

Donations may be made in Simpson’s name to the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children. Murphy Mortuary in Lancaster handled the arrangements.