Louis James Duff

October 20, 1928 – July 12, 2015

Louis (Louie) James Duff, 86, passed away on July 12, 2015 in Houston, Texas.

Louie was born in Pittsburg, Kansas on October 20, 1928 to Louis Francis and Mary Murray Duff. He attended Lakeside Elementary and Junior High and Pittsburg High School – Class of 1946. He graduated with Distinction from Northwestern University in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. While at Northwestern he was a member of two Honor fraternities: Beta Gamma Sigma (Commerce) and Beta Alpha Si (Accounting). His plans to become a CPA were thwarted due to the Korean War. Louie chose to enlist in the Air Force upon graduation rather than being drafted into the Army. His tours of duty included:

Lackland AFB Basic Training

Lowry AFB Finance School.

AF Unit at Olathe (KS) Naval Air Station

Wolters AFB (Mineral Wells) Home of the Aviation Engineers

He was honorably discharged April 15, 1955

He began his career as an Accountant with Carter Oil in 1955 and worked in various positions at Exxon until his retirement in 1986.

In 1952, Louie married his high school sweetheart, Colleen Lou Witt, with whom he had two children. She passed away in 1992. He leaves behind his son Louis Howard and his wife Teri of Houston and his daughter Pamela Ann and her husband Jody of Katy. He also had four grandsons of whom he was very proud: Ryan Duff, Garrett Duff and wife Jenny, Michael Elliott and wife Sarah and Jimmy Elliott and wife Kaydee.

He had two great grand children, Joseph Elliott and Avery Duff.

Louie (or Pop as his family called him) was known for his kind and gentle spirit. He was always complementary, loved corny jokes, was frugal yet generous. He was a great bowler, enjoying the game until he turned 80, and was in leagues most of his adult life. He was on winning Wii Bowling leagues during his time at Parkway Place Independent Living. He loved coffee and would always be game for a cup and a nice visit. He loved watching his grandchildren grow up playing sports and performing in concerts. He played the piano by ear up until a few weeks before he passed. He offered guidance without being bossy. He ended every conversation with either “Righto” or “Okee Doke”. He began every trip with “Off to see the Wizard”. He has begun the greatest trip of his life and will be sorely missed.

Our family would like to thank all of the caregivers at Sunrise Senior Living. They made Pop’s last few months comfortable and meaningful in a very loving way.

A memorial celebration for Louis will be Saturday, July 25, 2015 in the chapel of Memorial Oaks Funeral Home at 3:00pm with Pastor Gene Vickrey. For those desiring, in lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to The Brookwood Community in Louis’ honor. 1752 FM 1489 Brookshire, Texas 77423 (www.brookwoodcommunity.org)