Benjamin Louis

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Margaret, Josephine and Sophie and his brothers, Tom, George, Alex, Paul and Gene. Except for time spent overseas during World War II, he was a lifelong resident of Austin. Benny is survived by his brothers, Jack and Joe, and by Jack’s wife, Francis, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Benny served in the 744th Light Tank Battalion in the European theatre during WW II. He was with the Allies on Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy. At various times he served with the First and Ninth Army. He was wounded in Normandy and was awarded the Purple Heart. After recuperating in England, he returned to France and was present for the Liberation of Paris. He later fought in the Battle of Saint-Lô, in France, and the Battle of Aachen along the German Siegfried Line. He attained the rank of sergeant.

Benny was the owner of Benny’s Tavern, which was just across East 6th Street from the Driskill Hotel. Benny’s Tavern was a place where politicians, professors, journalists and people from all walks of life gathered. Many of them enjoyed the Tavern’s signature item, the “Dutch Lunch.” In 1976, after 25 years, Benny closed the Tavern and retired.

For almost fifty years, Benny’s passion was “The Farm.” The Farm was really a small ranch and Benny spent all of his free time there caring for his cattle. Many of those years he enjoyed working with two stray dogs he adopted and trained. He named the first Boy and the second Girl. Benny truly loved animals and his dogs were a great joy to him.

He and brother Joe were the only ranch hands on The Farm and together they “built fence”, vaccinated cattle, stacked hay in the barn and found time to fish in the stock tanks on the property. Many of Benny’s nieces and nephews as well as grand-nieces and grand-nephews learned to fish at The Farm. Benny was always happy when he was driving his jeep, riding his tractor, feeding his cattle or playing with his dogs.

Benny was a man of few words, but he was not without strong opinions. He was courageous, not only on the battlefield but also as he confronted the challenges of aging, especially the last few weeks of his life. Benny was a member of the Greatest Generation and all who knew and loved him will miss his quiet strength, his subtle humor and his enduring love of his family.

Pallbearers will be Jack Louis, Joe Louis, Jack A. Louis, Geary Louis, Doug Mangum and Joel Fontenot.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from ten o’clock in the morning until half-past ten on Saturday, the seventeenth of December 2011 at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Blvd. Austin, Texas 78752.

Memorial services will be conducted at half-past ten o’clock at Cook-Walden following the visitation. Graveside services will be private.