William Elson; optometrist, WWII vet

William Elson, 90, of Plymouth Meeting, a retired optometrist, died of heart failure Saturday at home.

Dr. Elson graduated from Central High School and from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. During World War II, he served in the Army in the States.

After his discharge in 1946, he married Belida Aiken and became the optometrist for the Panama Canal Zone for two years. While stationed there, he and his wife traveled to every major city in South America. She wrote about the experiences for Pan American Magazine, and he took moving pictures, said their son, Wylie.

In 1948, the couple returned to the States and Dr. Elson established an optometry practice in Norristown next to the historic Norris Theater. In 1983, after the theater and his office were razed to make way for a McDonald's restaurant, he worked for Pearle Vision in King of Prussia for seven years before retiring. He was very clever with his hands and made hearing aids as well as eyeglasses, his son said. Until 1984, he made earpieces for stethoscopes used by nurse anesthetists.

Dr. Elson earned a pilot's license in the 1950s and for 25 years was a member of the Civil Air Patrol squadron flying out of Montgomeryville Airport twice a week. He was a jazz aficionado and owned a 1965 Silver Cloud III Rolls-Royce.

He and his wife enjoyed annual trips to Mexico and visits to friends in Costa Rica. They went on an African safari in 1993.

His wife died in 2007. Dr. Elson is survived by his son.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. today at Joseph Levine & Son Memorial Chapel, 7112 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. Burial will be in Montefiore Cemetery, Rockledge.

Memorial donations may be made to Pennsylvania College of Optometry, 8360 Old York Rd., Elkins Park, Pa. 19027.