Louis Halbeisen

LOUIS PARNELL HALBEISEN

Marion

Louis Parnell Halbeisen, 83, went to his eternal rest on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, at Linn Manor Care Center, Marion. Graveside services will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at Hartford Cemetery, Hartford, with military honors. Arrangements by Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Marion.

LP is survived by his godson, D.C. (Kathy) Murphy of Marion. and their children, Daniel, Ryan and Sarah Murphy.

LP was born April 6, 1933, in Litchfield, Neb. In 1937, his family moved to Iowa. He started school in Hartford, then at the start of World War II, his family moved to Des Moines, where he attended grade school and then graduated from Dowling High School in 1951. Later he graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. In 1953, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After basic training at Fort Riley, Kan., he attended OCS at Fort Benning and then Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

Although LP became a special weapons and EOD specialist, he also had assignments in non-nuclear weapons areas as he progressed from second lieutenant to LTC. In addition to Fort Riley, Kan., and Fort Benning, Ga., his stateside assignments included Fort McClellan, Ala., Naval Powder factory, Maryland, (four tours); Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (two tours); Indian Town Military Reservation, Pennsylvania; VI U.S. Army Headquarters, Battle Creek, Mich.; Joliet Arsenal, Illinois; Sandia Base, New Mexico (three tours); and Picatinney Arsenal, New Jersey. Overseas tours: Captieu, France (three years); Camp Howard, Korea (13 months); Pirmasens, Germany (three years); Vietnam (two short tours); and special assignments to Okinawa and Italy.

Awards he received included a Legion of Merit, a Meritorious Service Metal, a Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Metal.

Subsequent to retiring from the Army, LP was employed by EG&G at the Idaho National Engineering Plant, then at Florida Kennedy Space Center and Rocky Flats Nuclear Plant in Colorado, where he designed, implemented and operated computer-based systems for the issue and control of all passes and badges of employees and visitors working at or visiting those installations.

LP's principal hobby was travel: counting his military travel, he visited more than 129 countries and on three different occasions literally went around the world. He also enjoyed bicycling, especially through the coast of France from Calais to Mount St. Michel. He also trekked along Hadrian's Wall, the high Himalayas, Nepal, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Australia and India.

Please share a memory of LP at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.