Eugene Lofton

You may have noticed a dash between the date of birth and the date that Eugene Lofton, Sr. departed this life. Let us explore the dash. Eugene, known to some of the family as Grover Gene, and others as Gene, was the third child born to Rev. Calvin C. Lofton and Ollie Weaver Lofton at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, Illinois, on October 15, 1942. The family moved to Detroit Michigan where Eugene attended school, graduating from Northwestern High School, in 1960. Eugene enjoyed drawing and designing and working with his hands. By the time he reached high school he was displaying great promise as a budding artist. In fact, woodshop was his favorite class. He entered a contest sponsored by General Motors, and began drawing and designing a car of the future. He carved and painted the 20-inch model of a car, which showcased a clear windshield to display the interior covered with fabric. The judges awarded his design an Honorable Mention and the car was displayed on tour in the United States for a year. In addition, he fashioned many of his furniture pieces while still in high school. A few years later, Eugene was hired by Chrysler Corporation and began working on the assembly line. Not being modest about his abilities, Eugene began to share some of his work with his co-workers. Management became aware of his talent and reported it to the leadership at the Chrysler Tech Center, in Highland Park, MI. Shortly thereafter, Eugene was promoted, and became the first African American Clay Modeler. During his career, he designs the rear end of the 1966 Dodge Dart, various vehicle emblems, dashboards, interiors and exteriors for several Chrysler brands. His crowning achievement was to design and introduce to the automotive industry and the world the extended cab for the pick-up truck. Eugene worked for Chrysler until his health would no longer permit. Eugene was a life member of the NRA (National Rifle Association). He won several awards and trophies for target and competitive shooting. In addition, he was a dedicated hunter. The fall of every year would find him in the woods anywhere, from Maine to Washington State. In 1976, Eugene was the 1st alternate to the Olympic Games held in Montreal, Canada. As a shooting instructor, he produced champions, with one of his students winning first place in the Pan American Games and another one taking second place in the Nationals, which secured a four-year college scholarship. Not only did Eugene love to shoot, but with his creative aptitude, he became a skilled Gunsmith. He would patiently work on a custom rifle for up to two years, curing the wood, carving intricate designs into the stock, grinding the gun barrow, and creating custom parts. If you could afford it, he would carve and inlay the stock with real gold or silver. He, also, made his own ammunition. Not being able to find a target rifle for himself, he made and introduced to the world the first left-handed target rifle. Eugenes legacy also included his family, where he took on roles such as assistant Girl Scout leader for a Metro-Detroit Girl Scout troop and introduced his daughters to the wonders of outdoors. On July 13, 1979 he married for a second time to his friend, Mablene Eason. Eugene departed this life on August 16, 2019 and he is now following his ancestors and family, who paved the way before him; his parents, Rev. Calvin and Ollie Lofton, and his sister, Occula Lofton Dexter, and son, Darius Phillips. He leaves behind; His wife, Mablene Eason, a brother, Calvin Weaver Lofton; a sister, Buena (Alfred) Lofton Marshall; two half-sisters, Velma Martin, Mesa Arizona, and Dorothy Thompkins, Markham Illinois. To follow in his foot-steps and continue his legacy are two daughters: Marcia (Will) Lofton Mangold, Michigan and Michelle Lofton, Arizona; and a son, Eugene (Nibor) Lofton, Jr., Arizona; 8 grandchildren: Sherri (Greg) Hinckley, Brittanie (Teric) Jones, Sean Neal, Jr., Brandie Neal; Nickolai Mealy; Senora Wesley, Robin Kenneth, Christian Golden; 5 great-grandchildren: Naima Wesley, Nehemiah Wesley, Nahum Wesley, Aaron Johnson, Carter Levy Jones; 5 nephews: Percy Thompkins, Jr., Inman Dexter, Dalton Dexter, Alex Marshall and Dorian Marshall; 2 nieces: Melony Thompkins and Madelyn (Byoye) Oparinde and a host of other relatives. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 2:00 pm until the time of his Celebration of Life Service at 4:00 pm at A.H. Peters Funeral Home, 20705 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236.

Funeral Home:

A. H. Peters Funeral Home of Grosse Pointe

20705 Mack Avenue

Grosse Pointe Woods, MI

US 48236