Louis E. Perez, Sr.

Louis Edward Perez was born on October 27, 1920 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the elder of two sons born to Adriana Vallado de Perez, originally from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico and Anthony Joseph Perez originally from Medellin, Columbia. He graduated from St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. In 1940 he worked for Kelvinator Corp. in Detroit, Michigan in the International Sales Department. It was there on December 7th of 1941 that the Second World War started and on that Sunday decided to resign from Kelvinator and return to New Orleans to enlist in the Aviation Cadets of the U.S. Army Air Corps. He graduated from the Cadets as a pilot, and was commissioned a Lieutenant in March of 1943. That same month he married his childhood sweetheart Margie Heitzmann, from Bay St. Louis Mississippi. In 1943 until June 1944 he went to transition school for multi-engine aircraft and navigation with Pan American Airline, the major supplier and trainer of Navigation disciplines in the world. Between classes he delivered single engine aircraft from production lines to ports of shipment. After four engine transition at Homestead Florida he flew the South Atlantic route in a C-47. The route to England made it necessary to land in Nigeria, Africa while General Patton was still pushing the German General Rommel out of Africa. Upon delivery of the C-47 to Salivary, England he was ordered to fly a war weary B-17 back to the States to be used in a war bond promotion. In the summer of 1944 orders were cut for four engine pilots to be sent to Calcutta, India to open the route from Calcutta to Perth, Australia using DC-4 aircraft. Pilots were sent to Nashville, Tennessee to wait for delivery of the four engine transports. Deliveries were delayed and pilots were needed in the China Burma India Theater of operation to fly four engine gasoline tankers, cargo and troop transports from India to China. The largest group of four engine pilots that could be re-assigned were in Nashville and they received orders to fly C-109 gasoline tankers, C-89 cargo and C-87 troop transports, all converted B-24 four engine aircraft. From mid 1944 to November 1945 he was engaged in the job of keeping the Chinese involved in the war against Japan. At the war’s end he became interested in International Commerce and joined his father, a WWII veteran himself, who was already involved in that venture operating as A.J Perez Export. Clark Equipment of Buchannan, Michigan acquired that business in the late 1970’s and he was an employee of Clark until he retired and then managed Inter-America Sales Co., Inc. selling refrigeration equipment into the Latin American countries in Central and South America. L.E., as he was known by his business associates, is preceded in death by his wife Margie and his daughter Janace P. Gennusa. He is survived by his children, Susan Larsen, Louis E. Perez Jr. and Patricia (Missy) Blackman, three son-in-law’s Thomas Gennusa, Sr., Christie Larsen, Jr. and Michael Blackman and one daughter in law, the late Donna H. Perez. He is also survived by his eleven grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass at 12:00 PM on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 501 Holy Trinity Drive Covington, LA 70433. Visitation on Saturday, August 17, 2019 from 10:00 AM to service time. Interment in Hope Mausoleum New Orleans, LA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice. Share a memory on the tribute wall at www.ejfieldingfh.com

Louis E. Perez, Sr.

October 27, 1920 - August 12, 2019