James Loftis

James Tildon Loftis, 97, died at 5:35 p.m. Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at St. Louis University Hospital. Born June 9, 1918 in Vilonia, Arkansas, he was the son of Tildon Thomas and Lou Etta (Lasley) Lofits. Mr. Loftis graduated from Alton High School and served in the U.S. Army during WWII. He retired from Shell Oil Company after 42 years of service. As a young man, Loftis was an active member of Cherry Street Baptist. He was interested in all sports especially golf and fishing and enjoyed working in his yard with his flowers. He was very active in the Junior Achievement Program for a number of years. On June 10, 1941 he married the former Lorraine Roennigke in Troy, MO. She preceded him in death on February 16, 2008. Surviving is a daughter Barbara Loftis of Ferguson, MO, three grandchildren, Bjorn Loftis, Gus Loftis, and Jana Loftis all of St. Louis, MO, nine great grandchildren, Lauren, Lana, Dominic, Giovanni, Ethan, Dylan, Samantha, Logan and Nathan. Also surviving is a brother, Tildon T. Loftis of San Diego, CA. Along with his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a great grandson, Brandon Loftis and three sisters, Mary Amon, Juanita Hamilton, and Fern Earl. The family wishes to express their gratitude to the trauma center and ICU at St. Louis University Hospital. Visitation will be from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Sunday, November 22, 2015 at Gent Funeral Home in Alton. Graveside services and burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday, November 23, 2015 at Valhalla Memorial Park in Godfrey with full military honors by the VFW Post 1308. Online guestbook and information may be found at www.gentfuneralhome.com

Obit Provided By:
Gent Funeral Home