Person:Claus Simon (1)

  Featured Page: Week of July 14, 2014

About Claus L. Simon

Claus Leopold "C.L." Simon was born 20 March 1924 in Düsseldorf, Germany, son of Emil Simon and his wife Mary. Claus and his parents, being German Jews, suffered the horrors of the Nazi regime during World War II, and were lucky to survive. Claus was held at four Nazi concentration camps at Rivesaltes and Compiègne in France; Buchenwald and Schönebeck in Germany during the war. According to his testimony for the USC Shoah Foundation in 1996, Claus escaped German forces during a forced march between camps and was able to conceal his identity by hiding in barns, convents and monasteries until being re-captured by the Nazi's and later rescued at the Schönebeck Detachment Camp by American soldiers at the end of the war in 1945.

According the California Passenger and Crew List Index, Claus L. Simon, age 23, arrived 26 April 1947 in San Pedro aboard the ship "Delftdijk", which originated from Rotterdam, Netherlands. His father Emil Simon, age 66, Lawyer, was listed on the same ship's passenger list immediately before him. Claus met and married his wife Steffi Neider on 16 July 1950 in Los Angeles County, California.

Claus Simon founded C.L. Simon Fine Foods, a specialty food broker that operated in Southern California for many years, and would become one of the premier brokers of cheese, meats and other specialty food products. Claus would later add a "cut and wrap" cheese operation to the company until the technology surpassed C.L. Simon's capabilities. Later, C.L. Simon would be acquired by another local Southern California broker, Bromar Southern California.

Claus Simon passed away on 18 March 2001 in Saint Charles County, Missouri, where he and his wife Steffi had moved prior to 1995 after his retirement from the food industry. His contributions, support and innovations in the food industry were numerous and will be remembered by his friends and co-workers for many years.

1.   California, United States. California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959. (Washington, D.C.: Ancestry.com).

   California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957
   Name: Claus L Simon
   Arrival Date: 26 Apr 1947
   Age: 23
   Birth Date: abt 1924
   Birthplace: Duesseldorf, Germany
   Gender: Male
   Ethnicity: German
   Ship Name: Delftdijk
   Port of Arrival: San Pedro, Wilmington and Los Angeles
   Port of Departure: Rotterdam
   Last Residence: Netherland
   Archive information (series:roll number): m1764:115

2.   United States. U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992: (Indexed in World Archives Project). (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010).

   U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992
   Name: Claus Leopold Simon
   Birth Date: 20 Mar 1924
   Age at Event: 27
   Court District: California
   Date of Action: 13 Apr 1951

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).

   U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
   Name: Claus L. Simon
   SSN: 570-38-8699
   Last Residence: 63303 Saint Charles, Saint Charles, Missouri, USA
   BORN: 20 Mar 1924
   Died: 18 Mar 2001
   State (Year) SSN issued: California (Before 1951)

4.   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1. (United States).

   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1
   Name: Claus L Simon
   Birth Date: 20 Mar 1924
   Address: 13033 Ventura Blvd, North Hollywood, CA, 91604-2219
   [37201 Village 37, Camarillo, CA, 93012-5610 (1994)]
   [13489 Cheltenham Dr, Van Nuys, CA, 91423-4815 (1993)]

5.   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1. (United States).

   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1
   Name: Claus L Simon
   Birth Date: 20 Mar 1924
   Address: 626 River Bend Estates Dr, Saint Charles, MO, 63303-6060 (1995)