Louis, 89, passed away on November 1, 2018, after a short illness and a life well-lived.

Born May 1, 1929 in St. Louis Missouri, Louis was the youngest son of George and Josephine (nee Dallas) (both deceased). He grew up as a "city kid" by the Anheuser-Busch brewery with his brothers George, James (Duke), and Russell and his sister Marcella, who was fond of calling him a brat. He often shared the story that one day while in grade school, he was building something in the basement, hammered his finger, swore and went upstairs and washed his mouth out with soap (seems this was a frequent occurrence).

Lou attended Cleveland High School where he played the clarinet and wanted to play football, but because he was so small, the coach refused to let him try out stating " I don't care how fast you are, I'm not going to have your death on my conscience."

Lou was a veteran of the Korean War, serving his country as a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant. He was stationed in Texas, where he often shared that he mostly stayed on base because "those Texan's only wanted my money" and California, which he loved. He learned to fly planes and was offered a position flying transport if he re-enlisted.

Lou met the love of his life Frances (deceased) when visiting his brother, Duke, in Hillsboro, Missouri on leave. He courted Frances and decided to leave the Air Force and his dream of flying, to marry her on October 25, 1952, in Good Shepard Church in Hillsboro. They lived in St. Louis most of their married life and moved to Nixa in 2007. They were married 63 years and he was always a romantic. They were known for walking the neighborhood hand in hand, sharing a "smooch" in the gazebo and he always loved getting smacked with a wet kitchen towel because of his propensity for sneaking a squeeze of her bottom when she was doing dishes. He steadfastly cared for her through her fight with Lewy body dementia and visited her grave weekly to tell her what was going on that week and to tell her "I will love you until the rivers run dry, the oceans go still, and the four winds blow away."

Lou and Frances had one child, Carol,  and John, their son-in-law who was loved like a son. In fact, Lou always preferred shopping with John because he was more patient. Lou and Frances had a menagerie of pets; three beloved dogs (Cleo and Bogie (bassets) and Boots (an inherited beagle), a pet sparrow (Sam) and numerous stray cats (Mopsy, Topsy, Suzette, White Foot, Nicholas, Yacky, and Barney just to name a few). They both had a soft spot for animals and people who needed a meal, a hand or a friend. Lou adopted a special needs humane society dog, Blue, to his life and she added much joy and a little frustration.

Lou was a skilled craftsman, loved working with wood; building cabinets and furniture for family and eventually carving for pleasure. He could fix anything (well anything except the plumbing – that was always a multi-swear word activity and ended with the need for beer). He trained to become a locksmith and worked for Washington University in St. Louis for over 20 years. He was a fervent union man but came to believe they were just as corrupt as the businesses with which they were negotiating.

Lou closely followed local and national politics, never hesitating to voice when his views dramatically clashed, or uncannily echoed, with something he read or saw. He was a lifelong Democrat who never strayed from political commentary and could never understand how such a great country could turn its back on those with the least. His goal was to live long enough to see a woman in the White House.

Lou was always busy. He loved to paint, especially oil and acrylic. He was an excellent chef and always made Christmas Bread during the holiday season for friends and family. Saturday in the fall was sacred for Lou who could watch college football until his eyes glazed over - Go MU and the Oregon Ducks.

What will be missed most is Lou's passion for life and his kind heart. He never met anyone he didn't know. He ALWAYS had a story and would share them with anyone. He was never afraid to laugh at himself and we are thankful he left all of those stories and passions with us.

Lou is survived by daughter, Carol F. Shoptaugh and son-in-law John L. Dengler, of Springfield, Mo.; four nieces Mary Wunderlich (Danny), Mary Ann Hannekin, Susan Leb (Nick), and Patsy Zajac (Hal), and many friends and wonderful neighbors.

Memorial visitation will be held on Thursday, November 8, 2018 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home.  Mass will be at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Nixa on Friday, November 9, 2018 at 9 a.m.  Burial will be in Missouri Veterans Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to any no-kill animal shelter or The Missouri Department of Conservation at https://mdc.mo.gov/contact-engage/donate/monetary-gifts-and-memorial-donations .