Loomis L. Crandall

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by West on January 25, 2004:

TO Loomis L Crandall's '55 Classmates: We, as the family of Loomis, want to express our deepest appreciation for the beautiful floral wreath the Class sent. It was placed on the altar, next to a huge picture of Loo as a Cadet. Loo did not spend as much time in the Army, as many of you, but he stayed true to the Ideals of West Point, throughout his entire life. The one word that has been expressed so often these past days, in relation to Loo, was "integrity" . He never lied or cheated anyone. The following is what his son, Doug, West Point '95, wrote about his Dad: Loomis was born during the Great Depression, but lived with contagious optimism. He grew up without a role model, but became a role model without peer. He essentially had no father, but was the best Daddy we could ever have asked for. His parents' marriage was broken, yet he spent over 48 years loving and honoring the same wonderful woman. He was a man who shattered dysfunctional patterns-who took very little and turned it into very much. This boy went to elementary in a one-room school house in Missouri; this man received his college diploma from President Eisenhower. This boy grew up eating stewed tomatoes and brussels sprouts; this man ate lunch with Harry Truman. Loomis,the teenager, beame an Eagle Scout all by himself; Loomis the man used that same incredible self-discipline to extend his life twenty years beyond a life threatening quintuple bypass. He pursued excellence, yet refused to sacrifice his family on the altar of ambition. He oozed integrity, lived with quiet and simple faith in Christ, and impacted those he met in ways he never knew. He was a family man, a company man, and a servant of his country. The only thing bigger than Loomis' handicap was his love for the game. This young man grew up playing golf on a dirt course in the midwest; this distinguished gentleman moved on to Heaven from the 16th green of a course made of real grass. He was a man of few words, but no one who spoke so little ever said quite so much. Be Thou At Peace Joanne, Louanne, Mariellen, Laura, Robert, Doug & 17 grandchildren

admin