LOUIS ROFFMAN Louis was born Febuary 22, 1918 in New York, New York to Samuel and Elizabeth Roffman. He married Irene Elizabeth Stuart on Nov. 9, 1948. She died July 26, 1975. After graduating from high school in 1936, Lou immediately enlisted in the Army Air Corp. Lou served in the military for 31 years, 9 mos, retiring from the Air Force in 1968 with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. Lou was a Pearl Harbor survivor, stationed at Hickam Field, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. He was a Flight Engineer on B-17 Bombers with the 31st Bomb Squadron. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lou fought in the Battle of Midway. He then was stationed in Darwin, Australia where he was wounded during a bombing mission. As a result of this mission, Lou received a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross due to the pilot being killed, the co-pilot severely wounded and Lou having to land the plane. After WWII, Lou was stationed in Japan during the Korean War, then served with military air attaches in embassys in Africa, Egypt, Holland and Denmark. After retiring from the military, Lou and his wife Irene, lived in Riverside where he owned 3 bars and a pool hall for several years. Lou was a member of the VFW, Optimist Club, Elks Club and Hollywood's famed Magic Castle. Lou's passion was performing magic and dressing up as a clown with fellow Optimists every December to visit children in area hospitals bringing them lots of joy through gifts, magic and telling funny stories. Lou also participated for many years in the Martin Luther King High School Remembers Programs for Veterans where he was able to share his military experiences with high school students. Lou was loved by everyone he met. Old or young, Lou brought cheer and a chuckle to everyone. As a member of the 31st Bomb Squadron as well as the 11th and 5th Squadrons, Lou faithfully attended reunions every year to reconnect with fellow veterans and their families. Lou was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Irene; 3 brothers, Al, Joe and Harry; 1 sister Rose Halperin and 1 nephew Stanley Halperin. He is survived by 3 nephews, Randy Roffman from Arlington, VA, David (Carmen) Roffman of Foley, Alabama, Philip Roffman of Pekin, Illinois and one niece, Mary Beth Roffman of Pekin, Illinois as well as many great nieces and nephews. Lou is also survived by Teresa Kukol, his friend and caretaker for many years. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Aug. 18 at Elks Lodge #643 at 1pm; graveside service will be on Monday, Aug. 20 at Riverside National Cemetery at 9:45am using Assembly Area #4. In Lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Optimist Youth Club of Riverside. PRESTON & SIMONS MORTUARY, Funeral Directors 951-683-7410.Published in Press-Enterprise on August 14, 2012