Don was born and grew up in the Chicago area, and he attended high school in Chicago before being drafted during World War II. In the Army Air Corps, he served as a medic in Indochina. In 1943 he married Lois Miner; after the war, he attended Northwestern University on the G.I. Bill, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He and Lois eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they raised four children. Don was employed at Western Pacific Railroad, staying with them for 30 years and attaining the position of assistant vice president before his retirement.
Lois Miner Loftus died in 1973, and several years later Don met and married Lois McCahon, a widow with five grown children living in the Half Moon Bay area; he and his new wife lived for many years in Pescadero, later moving to San Mateo and eventually to Saratoga. Their marriage has lasted until his death.
 Donald Laurence Loftus |
Don loved the desert, the dry heat and the open spaces; he also liked to landscape and work on carpentry projects around his houses. Don especially loved watching football-he lived for football season and mourned each year when the season was over. He was a kind and honorable man, highly ethical and responsible, who worked very hard to give his family a safe, secure, and stable life. He was a private man, but he enjoyed people and had a great sense of humor, and he made lasting friendships at all stages in his life. It is heart-wrenching and strange to realize that our Dad is no longer here, he who was always there for us when we needed him, who was not demonstratively affectionate but who never gave us any doubt that we had his love, who always provided for us but never reminded us of the fact, who strongly influenced us as we grew up simply by being the man he was.
Dad, we love you and miss you, we wish you were still with us, and we ask God to hold you in his hands and keep you safe.
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