A LIFE SPENT HELPING OTHERS FOSTER PARENT RICHARD LOFTUS VOLUNTEERED COUNTLESS HOURS.Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer WOODLAND HILLS - Knowing the importance of a father's influence in a child's life, Richard Loftus volunteered countless hours as a foster parent and Little League coach in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Loftus, of Woodland Hills, died Nov. 30 of a heart attack. He was 65. ``He had the ability to look at life positively. He was one of those people who was an encourager in life. He spent his life helping others,'' said the Rev. Glenn Kirby from West Valley Christian Church. Kirby said Loftus was interested in charitable missions around the world, and also was proud of his Armenian heritage. He combined both interests in a trip to Yerevan, Armenia, for a Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity, nonprofit ecumenical Christian organization that enables low-income people to own affordable, livable housing. Headquartered in Americus, Ga., it was founded in 1976 by businessman Millard Fuller and his wife. project. ``His father left the family when he was born. I think that was one of the reasons he wanted to become a foster parent,'' said Russell Bodine, who'd met Loftus when both attended Van Nuys Junior High. ``He had about six foster children from about 1991 to 2003. He was involved in coaching or managing Little League teams in the West Valley for about three decades, too. The kids loved him a lot. He was a father figure to them.'' Loftus graduated from Van Nuys High in 1957, and soon began his 30-year career with the U.S. Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processes and delivers mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. The service seeks to improve its performance through the development of efficient mail-handling systems and operates its own planning and engineering programs. . He worked mostly at the Van Nuys Post Office, in the accounting and payroll departments Noun 1. payroll department - the department that determines the amounts of wage or salary due to each employee payroll department, section - a specialized division of a large organization; "you'll find it in the hardware department"; "she got a job in the , and was treasurer of his local union for 10 years. ``He loved to play chess. He always beat me,'' said Jack Goetz, who also met Loftus at Van Nuys Junior High. ``He was always cheerful. It made you feel good to be around him. I think he was a very happy person all his life. He was a very good friend.'' Besides playing chess, Loftus enjoyed playing backgammon backgammon (băk`găm'ən, băk'găm`ən), game of chance and skill played by two persons upon a specially marked board divided by a space, called the bar, into two tables (inner table and outer table), each of which has 12 and hearts and reading biographies and books on religion. He also enjoyed traveling and bike riding. Loftus never married and had no survivors. A memorial service was held Friday at Praiswater Meyer-Mitchell Mortuary mor·tu·ar·y n. A place, especially a funeral home, where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation. . Cremation cremation, disposal of a corpse by fire. It is an ancient and widespread practice, second only to burial. It has been found among the chiefdoms of the Pacific Northwest, among Northern Athapascan bands in Alaska, and among Canadian cultural groups. was held. Holly Andres, (818) 713-3708 holly.andres(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: LOFTUS |
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