Obituaries : * Dr. Harry Owen Simmons; Retired Optometrist

Dr. Harry Owen Simmons, a retired optometrist and longtime Burbank resident who was active in many professional and civic organizations, has died.

Simmons died Saturday of leukemia at St. Joseph Medical Center, according to his son, Alan Simmons, a captain with the Burbank Fire Department.

Born Aug. 31, 1911, in Evansville, Ind., Simmons spent his childhood in several cities, including Burbank. In 1934, he received a bachelor’s degree from Whittier College, where he met Mary Chamberlain, his wife of 57 years.

After graduating from the University of California School of Optometry in 1937, Simmons returned to Burbank, where he married and established his optometric practice, retiring in 1983.

He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a commissioned officer.

During his 62 years as a Burbank resident, Dr. Simmons was active in the San Fernando Valley Optometric Society, the California Optometric Assn. and the American Optometric Assn. He was president of the Burbank Rotary Club, the Burbank Unified School District board and the Burbank YMCA Board of Directors.

He was a charter member of both the Burbank Chamber of Commerce and the Burbank Citizens Crime Prevention Committee, which reorganized local government after a series of gambling scandals in the late 1940s.

In addition to his wife and son, Simmons is survived by his daughter, Susan Hackett of Alameda, and three grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at the Church of the Recessional, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, with graveside services to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.