Louis Morris Scofield, Sr., died peacefully after an illness on July 31, 2009, in Beaumont, Texas.  Lou was a member of those truly remarkable men and women known as the "greatest generation" of Americans.  He and others like him risked their lives many times over to protect their loved ones, their homes, and their country.

Lou was born near Lincoln, Nebraska on June 22, 1923. His parents John Howard Scofield and Marceline Somerheiser Scofield were hard working farmers and later merchants who were well respected by rich and poor alike. Lou also had a brother John and twin sister Lois. He graduated from high school in Lincoln and soon joined the Army Air Corps.  Because of his great dexterity, Lou was assigned as a ball turret gunner on B-17 bombers popularly known as Flying Fortresses. As a member of the 15th Air Force 2nd Bomber Group, Lou flew thirty-five trips (54 missions) over Germany and emerged a decorated war hero. The exploits of his brave crew were memorialized in the book Bloody Skies, which was written by their waist gunner, M. W. McGuire.

At the end of World War II, Lou met the lovely Betsy Aiken who would become his wife, a marriage and partnership that lasted sixty-two years.  Lou and Betsy both received college degrees after the war and began to raise their family. Lou graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in geology, but his life's work was really in the field of geophysics. He was an "oil finder" and worked for a variety of companies in a number of states and countries throughout the world including Africa, Turkey, China and Australia. Lou and Betsy had three children who were smart and very accomplished.  They all achieved doctorate level degrees and recognition in their chosen fields. Lou was proud of his children and supported them in whatever they wanted to do but also expected them to do the best that they could, and they did. Lou probably could have been a very successful wildcatter, but he accepted the responsibility he had as a husband and father and took a more traditional career path.

Lou was a gentleman of the old school; he was generous, caring and strong and of exemplary character. He worked hard, but he also enjoyed life. He loved fishing and playing golf and was very good at those things. He was a vicious bridge player and masterful at chess and poker. He, like other men of his generation, was a jack-of-all-trades when it came to fixing things and there was very little that he could not fix. 

He loved his family and was a wonderful and caring husband. Lou is survived by his loving wife, Betsy; his daughter, Dr. Virginia Lee Scofield of Smithville; his son, Louis M. Scofield, Jr., an attorney from Beaumont; his grandchildren, Christopher Aiken Scofield, Nicholas Dickens Scofield and Emma Colleen Scofield; and a number of other relatives and friends.  He is predeceased by his parents; his brother; his sister; and his beloved son, Dr. Stephen Bruce Scofield.

Memorial contributions may be given to Some Other Place, P.O. Box 843, Beaumont, Texas, 77704 or to a charity of your choice.