Obituary of Richard Loeffler

Richard Loeffler, 80

May 6, 1943 – March 17, 2024

Richard Loeffler was born in Franklin, Indiana on May 6, 1943 and died peacefully surrounded by family the morning of March 17, 2024 after a short bout with pancreatic cancer.  He is survived by his two children, Keith (Julie) and Kelley (Michael) Couvreur, his four grandchildren Kyler & Austin Loeffler and Olivia & Emma Couvreur, and his dog Punky. He is preceded in death by his loving wife Thais, his parents Conrad and Mary Loeffler, and his sister Carol (Ron) Merrill.

Richard spent his childhood in Indiana and Michigan. He attended Michigan State University for undergraduate and also received his degree in Veterinary medicine from Michigan State. 

Richard then moved to Illinois to open a veterinary practice. He was a founder of the Animal Hospital of West Lake Forest, where he spent over 40 years treating and caring for the four-legged family members of thousands of families in the surrounding area.  Caring for animals was a true passion of his, and he treated every animal that was brought in as if it was his own.

After moving to Illinois, Richard met the love of his life, Thais Bernhardt, whom he married on November 16, 1974. Richard and Thais had two children, Keith and Kelley, whom they raised on the west side of Lake Bluff. Keith and Kelley could not be more thankful for the loving environment that Richard and Thais provided.

Richard was first and foremost a devoted husband and loving father. Despite having a very busy work schedule, he made sure to be there to support all of the individual interests of his wife and children, attending all sorts of important events from baseball games to dance recitals. He was there to support his children through any struggles they ever had, and was always there to listen if anyone close to him who had something they needed to get off their chest. The dedication and love he showed in his care for Thais during her battle with Alzheimer’s was both moving and inspiring to all that were a part of their lives at that time. Richard also loved and supported his four grandchildren with all of his heart.

Richard was an avid fishman. He enjoyed taking his children fishing when they were younger, and passed his love of the sport down to his four grandchildren. He loved going on week-long fishing trips with his friends and would always return with lots of pictures and often a great story or two of “the one that got away”.

Richard also loved games of all types. He enjoyed playing Poker with his group of close friends, and other games like Uno and Old Maid with his grandchildren when they would visit. He loved Chicago sports with all of his heart, but enjoyed criticizing his favorite teams just as much. 

Richard was kind, intelligent, thoughtful, patient, devoted, and strong-willed. His memory will live forever in the people that were fortunate enough to have had Richard in their lives.

Visitation and Services will be held at McMurrough Funeral Home (Libertyville IL) on April 6^th 2024. Visitation will be at 9AM, with Services at 11AM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Border Tails Rescue (www.bordertailsrescue.org/donate).  Border Tails cares for and helps find homes for homeless animals, a cause both Richard and Thais felt very strongly about