Louis Lee Mizell

Louis Lee Mizell was born March 13, 1931 at Oshkosh, NE, to Leroy and Meredith Mizell, the second of seven children. When he was 5 the family moved to Western Colorado. The family lived in Rifle, Snowmass, Climax, Kokomo, New Castle, and finally on a farm near Silt where they lived when he graduated from high school, with a GED. He was baptized when he was 16.

He enlisted in the Army in 1948 and was sent to Ft. Ord, CA for basic training and then more training followed at Ft. Story, VA to drive amphibious trucks. He was then sent to Guam for a year where he was a personnel clerk and a bonded driver.

Returning to the US, he was sent to Ft. Riley, KS, then to Ft. Carson, Co where he was a Supply Sgt. From there, he returned to Ft. Riley to attend Officers Candidate School where he was commissioned a second Lieutenant in the Army Medical Service Corps. His next duty station was at Ft. Sam Houston, TX where he attended officer’s basic training. Following that training he was assigned to Camp Atterbury, IN as Medical Supply Officer in the 31st Dixie Division. After a year he was sent to Germany in 1953 as part of the Occupation Forces. In 1955, he returned to Ft. Riley KS for a short time and then was sent to Ft. Rucker, AL for training as a helicopter pilot. Following flight training. Louis was assigned to helicopter ambulance units at San Antonio, Korea, Germany, Vietnam where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal for Valor and 12 Oak Leaf Clusters, and numerous other awards. His final duty post was back to Ft. Riley where he retired in 1969 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Louis married Doris Dahl, an Army Nurse, at the old Madigan Chapel, immediately prior to his Vietnam deployment. After retirement they, and their family moved to University Place. He was employed by Great Western Helicopters, which was located at Tacoma Industrial Airport as the Manager and Chief Pilot. The company contracted with the National Forest Service to fight forest fires and also did some work in positioning radio towers and installing air conditioners on building roofs.

After two years, he left that job and attended the University of Puget Sound to complete his degree in Business and Accounting under the GI Bill. During this time, he flew part time for Transcontinental Logging and Export Company at Boeing Field.

In 1974, the family moved when Doris re-entered the Army Nurse Corps, and lived In Denver, Ft. Knox, KY, San Antonio, Ft. Bragg, NC, Washington, DC, and Berlin, Germany where he was an accountant for the Army. They were there when the Berlin Wall came down and he mingled with the crowd gathered at the Wall to watch the crowds come through to West Berlin. While living in Berlin, they travelled throughout Europe, the Middle East, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, several trips to Russia and what was then known as the East Bloc countries.

In 1991, when Doris retired from the Army Nurse Corps, Louis and Doris moved to their current home in Thurston County. From there, they traveled around the world, around South America, to Croatia, Malta, and a three month trip to Europe, Ireland and the British Isles.

Louis and Doris first attended Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in 1969 and returned in 1999 and joined the Church. During the many moves, Louis served as an Elder and property manager at several Lutheran Parishes. In 2005, he was appointed an Elder at Good Shepherd where he enjoyed being part of the Lord’s family and assisting the Pastor with communion. He regretted when his health didn’t allow him to continue.

Louis was a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, The University of Washington Alumni Association, the Military Officers Association of America, the Dustoff Association for pilots who flew Medical Evacuation Mission in combat, the Solo Pilots Association for pilots who flew medical evacuation missions in Korea with no flight crew, evacuating patients in helicopters with litter pods on the outside.

Louis was preceded in death by a daughter, Suzanne Mizell Fish, and 4 siblings. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Doris, daughter, Karen Mizell and children, Emery, Kendall, and Collin Wogenstahl; a son, Louis, Jr. and Carolyn, and daughters Rachael Coletti and Erica Anderson; son, David and Laurel and children Cassie, Brenton, Savannah, and Brevin; son Michael and Keri and sons Colton and Trevor; son-in-law Christopher Fish and children Alexander and Madeleine. He is also survived by 4 great- grandchildren, 2 brothers, Irvin and Keith Mizell, and many nieces and nephews.

We are comforted in our loss by the knowledge that Louis is now at peace and with Jesus. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, Christian, and patriot.