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View a eulogy for James Alfred Loedding, USMA '53, who passed away on June 27, 2012.

James Alfred Loedding

West Point, 1953

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by donald loedding on July 26, 2012:

My 2 year older brother always looked after me. In grade school I would line up fights for him after school, and if none, he and I would fist fight in front of St. Anthony's grade school in Dayton, Ohio. We were both Altar boys, took piano lessons and even played a duet at a school event (we fought later). And we sang at the Inland Children's Choir in Dayton, Ohio especially at Christmas. When he was in the Army after West Point, he sent me my first 35mm. camera as I was the school photografor at Dayton Fairmont. When I was a geologist in Hawaii, he sent me portable hi-fi record player which I carried everywhere on the islands playing 78 and 45 records. We shared many belt spankings from Dad. Jim always wanted the best items even when he was broke. He had a temper and was a perfectionist, just like Dad who was never warm to him until he went to West Point. In the army Jim went to jump school, made 7 jumps at night too, and Ranger School to become regular army. In Europe he was on the pentathlon team with horse jumping, fencing, rifle shooting, etc. Then he was a General's aide in Germany. But he got bored of peacetime army and returned to Dayton, Ohio for his law degree and worked as a patent attorney where Dad got him a job at Wright-Patterson Air Force base. He loved good wine, married 4 times, met his true love Jadyn in Hawaii and died in Couer D'Alene, Idaho in June, 2012, two months before he was 81. Now he is in Heaven telling God and the Angels how to fix the gate, grow tomatoes and what wine to serve. Love you, Jim

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