Louis Eloy Lopez

Louis “Lou” Eloy Lopez, 86, passed away on April 1, 2021, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, due to pneumonia.

Lou was born October 18, 1934, in Rocky Ford, Colorado, to Fermin and Josephine Lopez. During the first thirteen years of his life, he experienced the adventures of growing up on a farm with his parents and three younger brothers, John, Bill and Ad. As Lou was entering high school, the family moved to Denver. He attended Annunciation High School and excelled in basketball and baseball. Lou was a leader and captained the Annunciation Cardinals in winning the Parochial League State Basketball Championship in 1953. Lou was selected to the All-Tournament All-star team and was named as the MVP of the tournament. On graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Army and served two years in Germany in an armored tank division. Following his military service, he attended the University of Colorado and then Regis College.

In 1963, Lou moved to Southern California to take part in the booming aerospace industry. He initially worked for North American Aviation/Rockwell on the Apollo Program. He  was later recruited by McDonnell Douglas and was assigned to the DC-10 project. Lou returned to Rockwell to support the Space Shuttle Program. It was at Rockwell where he met and married the love of his life, Sherry Alewyn.

Lou later transitioned to procurement administration as a Small/Disadvantaged Business Administrator for the Boeing Company. He was proud of the work he did in providing small and disadvantaged businesses the opportunity to participate in the procurement process. His aerospace career relocated him and his family to Chicago, Seattle, and eventually back to Southern California. He retired as Northrop's Small/Disadvantaged Business Administrator in 1994. He returned home to Denver where he enjoyed time with his family and friends. In his retirement, he was able to focus on his love of golf and the 19th hole. Sherry's career eventually took them to Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he remained until his death.

Lou was a steadfast fan of the Denver Broncos, Colorado Rockies, and UCLA Bruins basketball. He supported those teams through thick and thin. Lou was a member of the Annunciation High School Hall of Fame, and he, his brother Bill and sister-in-law Celia, were among a team of dedicated Annunciation alumni who organized an annual golf tournament that raised over $200,000 for Annunciation student scholarships.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Sherry; brother Ad Lopez (Glenna); sister-in-law Celia Lopez and eight children: Louis Craig Lopez (Valerie), Mark Lopez (Lucy), Frank Lopez, Gretchen Mercier (Gary), Kurt Lopez, Trisha Gibson (John), Michael Sims (Jamelle) and Tracy Lopez (Matt). He leaves behind ten grandchildren, numerous great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Fermin; mother, Josephine; his two brothers, Bill and John; and grandson, Nathan.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Annunciation School student scholarship fund would be deeply appreciated. 

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Arvada, Colorado on April 23, 2021 at 10:30 a.m.