Louis Magner, Motorola Retiree and WWII Veteran, Dies in Seguin, TX

Louis Richard Magner, aged 92, formerly of Jacksonville and Quincy, IL, passed away on February 12, 2018 in Seguin. Visitation will be held at Tres Hewell Mortuary on Monday, February 19, 2018, from 5 to 7 p.m. The recitation of the Holy Rosary will begin at 9:30 a.m. at St. James Catholic Church on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 followed by the mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Graveside services and interment will be held at a later date in Quincy, IL.
Louie was born on Aug. 11, 1925 in Jacksonville, IL, the youngest of 6 children to James T. Magner and Rosetta (nee) McHatton Magner. Louis graduated from Routt High School in that city in 1943 and was immediately drafted into the U.S. Navy despite his "limited ability to swim," he often remarked. He served in the Landing, Invasion, Occupation Navy (Lion 8) unit. After boot camp at Coeur D Alene, Idaho, he rode a newly constructed small air craft carrier from Spokane, WA to California to pick up new airplanes. He headed into the Pacific on the old troop ship "Carlson" with hammocks below deck. As they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge, each man threw a coin overboard for good luck. After refueling in Hawaii and the Marshall Islands, the troops went over the side on ropes to occupy Naha, Okinawa. The troops then trained for the invasion of Japan, but all were relieved when the war suddenly ended. He had to wait until 1946 for a ship back to the USA. When he finally arrived at the bus station in Jacksonville, IL he had to walk home. Louie proudly wore his WWII veteran hat while running errands in Seguin.
Louie attended Quincy College (now University) 1946-1950, and graduated with a business degree. While in Quincy he met and married Elizabeth "Betty" (nee) Metzger who resided at the now infamous (for recent college student parties) house which formerly stood at 1820 Lind Street on campus. They married on August 27, 1949 at St. Francis Catholic Church, Quincy, IL. Betty preceded Louie in death on December 20, 2011; they were married 62 years. Louie managed the Belasco Theater in Quincy, but the work hours on nights and weekends were suboptimal for a newlywed, so Louie found employment at Motorola in Quincy. In 1976 Motorola moved operations in Quincy to Seguin, and the many Motorola families continued to socialize in Seguin, which was nicknamed "Quincy South." Louie retired from Motorola in 1990, but Louie joined groups of Motorola retirees who met at local watering holes, and more recently at Dairy Queen for coffee on Mondays. Louie was well liked, and people enjoyed his Midwestern dialect when he mentioned that he was "worshing" his clothes, eating "zoop," or doing dishes in the "zink." He and Betty were members of St. James Catholic Church in Seguin, and he often came to 10 am Sunday Mass unusually early to claim "his" pew seat.
Louie is survived by two sons: Dr. James (Glenda) Magner of Woodbridge, CT, and Jeffrey (Mary) Magner of Tarpon Springs, FL. "Loooouieee" will be especially missed by his five grandchildren: Erin (Mike) Moriarty of Kent, CT; Carly (Russ) Ketchum of San Clemente, CA; Jeffrey P. Magner of Toledo, OH; Matthew (Katelyn) Magner of Royal Oak, MI; Captain USAF Michael (Tina) Magner of Bury St. Edmunds, England. Surviving greatgrandchildren are: Beverly and Remington Ketchum of San Clemente, CA, and Emily Magner of Royal Oak, MI. Memorial contributions may be made to St. James Catholic Church, 510 S. Camp St., Seguin, Texas, 78155.