PASSINGS

Dave Simmons

Dave Simmons, who helped pave the way for public ownership of what in the mid-1970s was known as the Hollywood-Burbank Airport, died on Sept. 2.

Simmons remained close to the field of aviation his entire life, which spanned 90 years.

His interest in the business of aviation became historic in Burbank when in the 1970s, as president of the Lockheed Air Terminal, he led the airport’s transition from a private to a publicly owned facility.

His work ensured that the airport — now the Bob Hope Airport — remained an aviation facility and an important transportation link in Southern California.

Maureen Osborne

January has been a tragic month on local railways, and 2006 was no different.

Nearly a year after a Metrolink train headed through Glendale collided with an SUV parked on the tracks, killing 11 and injuring more than 200, Maureen Osborne, of Glendale, died in a similar accident at a Burbank crossing.

Osborn had just dropped off her son at Bob Hope Airport for his flight home to Michigan early on Jan. 6. Minutes after Osborn left her son, her four-door Toyota sedan was hit by a Metrolink train at a crossing at Buena Vista Avenue and San Fernando Road in Burbank, killing the 76-year-old widow and mother of four.

Witnesses said Osborn drove her car around the lowered crossing gates just before the accident, according to Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell.

Osborne was known as a kind woman and caring neighbor, who volunteered at COPPS, the Community Police Partnership — the Glendale Police Department’s substation in Montrose.

Charles ‘Walt’ Rosenthal

Charles “Walt” Rosenthal had a passion for the outdoors, and he died in the midst of doing work that allowed him to fulfill that passion.

Rosenthal, a Burbank High School graduate, died on April 6 in an accident at Mammoth Mountain near China Bowl Run.

As a member of the Mammoth Ski Patrol, Rosenthal and two fellow patrolmen were surveying a hazardous snow area when the two slipped into a volcanic gas vent.

Rosenthal died trying to rescue them.

Rosenthal was a researcher for UC Santa Barbara’s Institute for Computational Earth System Science, working in the field in Mammoth. During the snow season, he served as a member of the Mammoth Ski Patrol. After graduating from Burbank High in 1965, Rosenthal earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, then went on to obtain a master’s degree in geography at UC Santa Barbara, according to a news release from UC Santa Barbara.

The focus of his professional research was snow hydrology, how snow grains bond together for a stable snow pack. Rosenthal had been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to fund his studies and intended to continue doctoral studies in Santa Barbara in the fall. He had been living at Mammoth Lakes.

Isgo Lepejian

Burbank photographer and photo lab owner Isgo Lepejian died Nov. 20.

Lepejian parlayed his love for photography into his two photo labs, Isgo Lepejian Photo Lab in Burbank and ANI Photographic and Digital in Hollywood.

He also owned the Tin Horn Flats restaurant in Burbank.

Lepejian, who died at age 69, was known for his support of up-and-coming photographers in Burbank and Hollywood, helping many get their start in the professional world.

He traveled. Africa was a frequent destination, but his home remained near the Burbank/Toluca Lake border, and it was the Burbank store, which he handed over to his sone, about five or six years ago.

Joseph G. Ferrick

News hit Burbank in January that one of its former finance directors had died.

Joseph G. Ferrick died Dec. 19, 2005. He was 94.

Ferrick started his career as a bookkeeper in 1940, but eventually rose to become an accountant.

His penchant for keeping the books led him to Burbank in the 1940s, where he became chief accountant, and ultimately finance director.

He served the city until his retirement in 1967.

Ferrick was known for his honesty — “to an infinite degree,” one friend said — and his frugalness.