Claude F Loesch

Claude Frederick (Budd) Loesch died in his Beacon Woods home on January 4, 2013. He was born to Gordon Edward and Geraldine Laura Loesch at his grandparent’s home in Erie, PA on November 28, 1930. He grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio and was reared by his mother and stepfather Richard Whitaker on a farm on South Ridge East.At the age of 15, he ran away from home and joined the Army, after convincing recruiters he was 17. He served nearly a year before being sent home and was paid to finish high school under the GI Bill. Loesch began his dream job of training horses, and trained and showed horses for various owners in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He married Phyllis Corbett on April 7, 1950 at First Baptist Church, Ashtabula, Ohio. During the Korean Conflict, Loesch served with the Air Force 6002nd Air Intelligence Group. He was honorably discharged from Eglin AFB in 1955. Loesch began his newspaper career at the Ashtabula Star Beacon as staff photographer and later worked in the New Process Division on Elm Street and was trained on the company’s $250,000 Photon phototypesetting machine. In 1960 he married Kay Pickard from Ashtabula. Loesch assumed management responsibilities that took him to newspapers and printing companies in Cleveland OH, Lansing IL, Oshkosh WI, Ketchikan and Cordova Alaska, Chehalis WA, Castle Rock CO and New Port Richey FL. Loesch retired to Bayonet Point, Florida with his wife of 52 years. He is preceded in death by his parents, stepfather, infant son Phillip Thomas Loesch and granddaughter Sarah Jane Loesch. He is survived by his wife Kay, sister Jerie Leigh (Ed) Pickard, four sons, Ron (Anne), Randy (Kathy), Tom (Rebecca), and Jerry (Sandi), one niece (Lisa), one nephew (Mark), six grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. Loesch is interred at Grace Memorial Gardens in Hudson, FL. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Beacon Baptist Church, 13343 Fivay Road, Hudson, FL 34667. Memorial services will be held Feb. 2 at 2 PM at Beacon Baptist Church where Loesch was a Deacon.