Carlos Llosa Baluarte

Dr. Carlos Llosa Baluarte, 85 passed away peacefully on Tuesday December 23, 2014 surrounded by his family at St. John's Hospice in Springfield, IL. He was born on November 12, 1929 in Lima, Peru, South America, the son of Justiniano Llosa and Rosa Baluarte. Carlos is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Graciela Llosa. He is also survived by daughters Susana (Paul) Hendrickson of Putnam Valley, NY, Talia (Kalman Hart) Llosa of Hewitt, NJ, Melisa Llosa of San Diego, CA, and Milagros (Adam) McMaster of Darien, CT, and by sons Neri Llosa of Tucson, AZ and Tulio (Mae) Llosa of Springfield, IL. He is also survived by grandchildren Julissa Llosa of Brooklyn, NY, Carlos Llosa of Tucson, AZ, Lucas and Gina Hendrickson of Putnam Valley, NY, Tyler and Evan McMaster of Darien, CT and Diego and Sophia Llosa of Springfield, IL.

Dr. Llosa received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering from The National Agrarian University in Lima, Peru. He was a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship to Purdue University for his masters and doctoral studies.

While at Purdue University, Dr. Llosa researched and completed his dissertation on wheat genetics which led to his travels to multiple countries including Japan, Croatia, Austria, Colombia, and Mexico in order to improve wheat production methods in varying climates. He received his Ph.D. with a concentration in Plant Breeding from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN in 1970.

After completing his studies, Dr. Llosa served as an agronomist for the Experimental Station of the National Agrarian Institute in Lima, Peru focusing on cereal genetics and yield optimization. During this time, he taught Statistics at the University San Luis Gonzaga of Ica in Peru. He was also a renowned table tennis player, participating in numerous tournaments in Peru, his home country. He instilled this passion particularly in his youngest child, Milagros, who was born with a natural talent for the sport and who followed his lead winning several tournaments in South America and the US. Carlos became a US Citizen in the year 1998 in New York City. Dr. Llosa was an avid learner who enjoyed reading about any topic during his spare time. He continued his education at Pace University in New York studying advanced mathematics and languages. He moved to Springfield, IL in 2010 where he became a member of St. Katharine Drexel Parish. He was also a big fan of the New York Knicks, tennis player Roger Federer, golfer Tiger Woods, and Deportivo Municipal, a Peruvian soccer team.

His children will always remember their father for his kindness, generosity, sparkling smile, and wit. He was a persevering spirit who strived to provide the best quality education for them. To Carlos education was of the utmost importance.

The funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday December 26, 2014 at St. Katharine Drexel Parish at Sacred Heart Church with burial at Calvary Cemetery in Springfield immediately following the mass. Boardman-Smith Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements (www.boardman-smith.net).