Louis Zuefle, 95, passed away peacefully on July 23, 2020, in his home in Boulder, CO with his wife of almost 74 years, Alice Zuefle (née Petrikovitsch), sitting by his side and holding his hand. Lou was born at home on August 14, 1924, to Otto and Clara Zuefle in Webster Groves, Missouri. He graduated from Webster Groves High School in 1942. During high school he was a golf caddy at the local country club and was the drummer in a band, which played the Big Band hits of the day.
He joined the Army Air Corps (subsequently the US Air Force) to serve in World War II, where he served as a B-26 bombardier/navigator and flew many combat missions during the war. He almost always wore a B-26 Marauder cap and had many, many stories that he liked to tell! Upon his return from the war, he remained a member of the US Air Force Reserves and he retired as a Major (USAF Ret).
Lou attended Washington University under the GI Bill and graduated with Bachelors and Masters degrees in Math and Science Education. Lou and Alice were married in November, 1946, and then they were both teachers in the St. Louis area. In the mid 1950s, he embarked on 37+ year career with IBM in Marketing, Education and Consulting. He retired from IBM after moving to Boulder, but remained active as a volunteer in the IBM Quarter Century Club.
Lou liked to golf, play the drums, 4-wheel to favorite scenic spots in Utah and Colorado in his "Puma" Pathfinder, snow ski at various Colorado ski areas, and walk his beloved dogs (Buffy, Benji, Max and Molly). He and Alice enjoyed travelling around the US in their RV visiting National Parks and forests, family and friends, eventually visiting all 50 states and several provinces in Canada. They also enjoyed international travel, visiting friends and family in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Margaret and Mildred. Lou is survived by Alice and their two daughters, Debbie (Gary) Corner of Boulder, CO and Tess (Mike) Ratliff of Glendale, AZ. Lou was a fun grandpa to his four grandkids: Christy (Justin) Diehl, Melissa (Jason) Brault, Tim (fiancé Courtney) Ratliff and Katie (Matt) Holden. Lou was slyly mischievous and was known to tell them “this is something your folks don’t need to know about” as they drove around parking lots sitting in his lap, walked to the lake to feed the ducks or got into other mischief in their RV or on trips to the mountains. He also left behind 5 great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Lou’s ashes will be interred at the Ft. Logan National Cemetery in Denver, CO. No services are planned at this time. Memorial Contributions may be made to The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org) or to your favorite Animal Rescue charity.
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