Royce Elgin Loshbaugh

Royce, 92, passed away peacefully at Crista Shores Senior Living in Silverdale, Washington on March 29, 2020.

Royce was born April 5, 1927 in McPherson, Kansas. He grew up as a farm boy and PK (preacher’s kid), son to Church of the Brethren minister Ralph Loshbaugh and Katherine Loshbaugh, and had one sister Mary Elizabeth (Loshbaugh) Studebaker. His parents grew up farming on family homesteads in Hollow, Oklahoma, were sharecroppers in Fredonia, Kansas, and in 1944 purchased a farm in Westphalia, Kansas while ministering at local churches in their communities.

Royce graduated in 1945 from Fredonia High School. Royce then attended McPherson College; a four-year liberal arts college related to Church of the Brethren located in central Kansas. He married his college sweetheart Bernice Lindstrom in 1948, and graduated in 1949 with a chemistry degree. From 1949 to 1952, he taught mathematics and chemistry at Elkhart High School in Kansas.

Royce was called up to serve in the military during the Korean war and enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1952 and was stationed in San Diego, California. While serving he studied electronics and radar equipment and was assigned as a Radar Repair Instructor. He was released from active duty to Marine Corp Reserves in 1954, and went back to school and earned a second degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California Berkeley.

He was honorably discharged in 1960.

Royce started his career in the oil industry as a chemical engineer for General Petroleum, the early years of Mobil Oil, which led to moving his wife and 2 young daughters to the east coast. This started the great adventure of many moves: Stamford, Connecticut, Hopewell, New Jersey, London, England, Dallas, Texas, Sumatra, Indonesia, and back to Texas. During his lifelong career with Mobil Oil Research and Development, he was known for his integrity, diplomacy, expertise and commitment to safety. After retiring in 1989, he moved to Washington state and continued his world travels with Bernice including a trip to Antarctica. After Bernice’s stroke in 1996, Royce was a gentle and patient caregiver until her death in 2009. He volunteered with AARP Driver Safety training and was Washington State Coordinator from 2003 to 2009. Both Royce and Bernice were committed to excellence in education and as alumni contributed to McPherson College including a gift to help build the new Melhorn Science Hall on campus where there is a plaque at the chemistry lab in their honor.

Royce is survived by two daughters, Sandy Smith and Pat Bostwick; and son-in-laws Tim and Don, respectively. A memorial service is not planned due to the Covid19 pandemic.

He will be buried at Acacia Memorial Park in Seattle, Washington. Memories and stories can be shared through Dignity Memorial or thru website www.Mem.com where photo memorials can be viewed under both Royce and Bernice’s names. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions in Royce’s memory to the American Lung Association of Washington.