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Loyal Emil Febinger

1LT in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : Co A

ASN#38008109

Born 1917 in CO, Died 2001

Other residence(s): Denver, CO; Aurora, CO
United States Army, did not accompany the unit to Europe
Occupation before the war: optometrists
College education before the war: Univ. of Denver 4 years
College education after the war: Univ. of California
Source: 603rd Camouflage Engineer Roster provided by W. Anderson; photo courtesy of Ancestry®

Loyal Febinger was born on August 11, 1917 in Denver, Colorado. His parents had both been born in Germany, and he was the older of two sons.

He graduated from East High School in Denver in 1935, where he was a member of the German and International Relations clubs. He then began his studies towards a degree in optometry at the University of Denver, and transferred to the University of California where he obtained a bachelor's degree in optometry in 1940. He was licensed as an optometrist in Denver in October, 1940. The same month he filled out his draft card where he gave his place of employment as Paul Weiss, an optical company.

Per his enlistment record, he enlisted in the Army on March 28, 1941 as a private. (His VA death record gives his enlistment date as May 30, 1942—could this have to do in some way with his becoming an officer?)

His younger brother George also served in the Army in World War II as a medic in Europe.

After his discharge from the Army on January 6, 1946, he married Wilma Belle Palmer on June 29, 1946. They settled in Denver and he went back to work as an optician at Paul Weiss, where he was variously VP and treasurer in the late 1950s/early 1960s.

By 1964, his place of employment was Denver Lens Associates, where he remained until his retirement in March, 1985. At that point, Loyal and Wilma moved to a condo in Aurora, Colorado.

He was also a Mason and a member of the Optometric Association.

Loyal and Wilma had two children. Their son Dennis Loyal spent some time as a Lt. Colonel in the US Army Medical Corps, and is a thoracic surgeon in Washington State. Their daughter Sandra majored in music in college and married a musician, Bill Holst, who was a trombonist with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic from 1979 until just recently.

Loyal died on September 27, 2001 in Aurora, Colorado, and is buried at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Littleton, Colorado.

Photo:

1935 high school yearbook photo

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1265&h=346215454&tid=&pid=&queryId=defb98949b997ea2e36c9f7c78059a34&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR60&_phstart=successSource

1941-1945 in military uniform

https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/11304827/person/-488475562/media/601527a1-1ad4-47ea-864f-8d2b7d9b6c44?_phsrc=BGR63&_phstart=successSource

Sources:

1938 University of Denver yearbook (class of 1939 photo)

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1265&h=273632190&tid=&pid=&queryId=b5213822e1237043a6d397b7bae4bd6e&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR70&_phstart=successSource

1940 University of California yearbook

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1265&h=468779780&tid=&pid=&queryId=b5213822e1237043a6d397b7bae4bd6e&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR71&_phstart=successSource

1940-1985 optometry license

http://www.coloradolicensing.org/loyal-e-febinger

1940 draft card

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2238&h=5135219&tid=&pid=&queryId=defb98949b997ea2e36c9f7c78059a34&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR53&_phstart=successSource

1942 enlistment record

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=4945967&tid=&pid=&queryId=defb98949b997ea2e36c9f7c78059a34&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR54&_phstart=successSource

1958 Denver directory

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2469&h=866281947&tid=&pid=&queryId=804248cdb4f5f3a13bebbc3a3606f553&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR81&_phstart=successSource

1966 Denver directory

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2469&h=1518576405&tid=&pid=&queryId=804248cdb4f5f3a13bebbc3a3606f553&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR82&_phstart=successSource

1981, 1985 Colorado directories

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1788&h=297375322&tid=&pid=&queryId=defb98949b997ea2e36c9f7c78059a34&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR58&_phstart=successSource

2001 Social Security death index

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=3693&h=18784067&tid=&pid=&queryId=defb98949b997ea2e36c9f7c78059a34&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR57&_phstart=successSource

2001 VA death record

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2441&h=14158952&tid=&pid=&queryId=b5213822e1237043a6d397b7bae4bd6e&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BGR67&_phstart=successSource

2001 Rocky Mountain News obituary

https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/0FE15EFD3B2028AE-0FE15EFD3B2028AE?h=3&fname=&lname=febinger&fullname=&rgfromDate=&rgtoDate=&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=&kwexc=&sid=cslyxbijsikzwtuvnclidrmbcokgypai_wma-gateway003_1599592934883

2001 Find a Grave record

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/140159049/loyal-emil-febinger

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