Dr. Ken Sommer; Glendale Chiropractor

Dr. Ken Sommer, a longtime Glendale chiropractor who also was a weightlifting champion, has died in Las Vegas. He was 61.

A Glendale resident, Sommer died June 18 of a heart attack while attending a weightlifting meet, said his wife, Anne Guthery Sommer.

Born in Orange, N.J., Sommer served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Inspired to become a health professional after his mother died of kidney failure at age 36, Sommer later attended Los Angeles College of Chiropractic while working as a railroad switchman and General Motors assembly worker.

In 1960, Sommer opened an office in Glendale and practiced there until his death.

Sommer took up weightlifting as a child and won trophies throughout his life. In the late 1970s, he created 15 power-lifting world records in one competition, according to Herb Glossbrenner, a longtime friend and fellow weightlifter.

Sommer won several National Masters Weightlifting Championships and in 1987 placed second in the World Masters Weightlifting Championship in the super-heavyweight category for weightlifters ages 55 to 59.

In addition to his wife, Sommer is survived by his son, Steven Sommer of Sunland, and a sister.