Dr. Edward Simon, 95

GILFORD — Dr. Edward Simon passed away on July 9 at his daughter’s home.

He was born Sept. 24, 1927, in Bradley Beach, New Jersey, to immigrant parents from Lithuania. He worked from grammar school on to pay all of his own expenses and help out his family. He left high school after lunch to work long hours in a movie theater for 25 cents an hour.

Ed studied electricity on his own so he could pass the Navy’s EDDY test given to high school seniors. This qualified him for electronics training when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17. He completed advanced training in aviation electronics and radio school before his discharge in 1946. The GI Bill and a scholarship paid for his degree in physics with a minor in math from Rutgers and he then pursued an advanced degree in solid state physics at Purdue University.

Ed married Dorothy Koenig in 1950 and took wonderful care of her for over 70 years until she passed away on Feb. 14, 2021. Ed first worked in a teaching assistantship position at Purdue, which provided them with free tuition and a small stipend to live on. He received his MS in 1952 in theoretical physics and a PhD in 1954 for developing photovoltaic devices.

After working at Transitron researching silicon devices, Ed and three others formed a new company in 1958 which was acquired by Unitrode in 1967. Ed was the VP in charge of research and development until he retired in 1990. He held five patents and served as a consultant for several organizations and universities. He was elected a member of Leaders in American Science, Who’s Who in the East and Who’s Who Internationally.

Ed and Dot raised five children, teaching them the value of education above all, hard work, persistence, creative thinking and integrity. They loved to travel and learn about other cultures and generously took their children and grandchildren on many amazing trips around the world, as well as financed all their children’s and grandchildren’s college educations.

He is survived by his five children, Martin Simon (Janis), California; Sherry Pattison (Bill), Oregon; Sandra McLaughlin (Everett); Keith Simon, New Hampshire; Jonathan Simon (Stephanie), California; as well as 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Ed was a successful self-made man and was greatly admired for his intelligence, work ethic and problem solving skills. He will be deeply missed by his family, who always turned to him for help and advice. In his memory, consider donating to a charity important to you, share your good fortune with others or help someone in need.

His family will gather to celebrate his life at a later time.