Obituary of Bill John Loomis

Bill John Loomis was born on September 7th, 1935 in Des Moines, Iowa and died on June 28th, 2013 in Roanoke, Alabama near his home in Woodland. Mr. Loomis moved to Alabama from Loxahatchee, Florida in 2001. Bill John Loomis was one of two children born to Gladys Josephine Harbaugh, whom he loved dearly, and John Vaughn Loomis, both now deceased. His brother John Charles Loomis died when the cropduster he was flying crashed on August 23, 1971. Loomis grew up in several states: Iowa, Wisconsin, New York and Florida. He was an avid racecar enthusiast and could build cars himself from the ground up. After a brief first marriage, Loomis married Susan Marie Parks, daughter of Richard Nelson Parks and Paula Hughes Murphy, on October 28, 1967. The couple lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, where their first and only child, William Richard (Rick) Loomis was born, March 22, 1969. A crane operator by trade, Loomis worked on concrete pours for NASA launch pads, bridges, roads and buildings throughout the Miami, Florida area. He also had stints working in the Caribbean, namely St. Croix and St. Thomas. After the birth of his son, Mr. Loomis took a job working as a travelling cosmetics sales representative for Shulton, Inc., selling fine perfumes for Nina Ricci and Pierre Cardin. After several years with Shulton, Inc. and becoming a top salesman, Loomis returned to his roots as a heavy equipment and crane operator. Loomis was also a talented welder, electrician and builder. He was a member of the NRA and the International Union of Operating Engineers. Bill Loomis is survived by his son William Richard (Rick) Loomis and daughter-in-law Elizabeth (Liz) Olivia Baylen Loomis. He is also survived by his nephews John, Glen and Dale Loomis and his beloved dog Lulu. The family will receive friends at Providence Baptist Church from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.