September 22, 1930 – July 13, 2021 (age 90)
Born in Brooklyn, New York, at the beginning America’s Great Depression, Lou died peacefully in his sleep on July 13, 2021 surrounded by family and nursing staff at the Red Cedar Glen senior care center in Hendersonville, TN.
Lou was the second of five children born into a household whose parents legally immigrated to America from the middle east region seeking hope and opportunity. During the 1950’s he, along with his entire family, moved to the Southern California area. It was there he met Vivian Carouba, his wife of nearly 60 years. She predeceased him dying suddenly in 2016.
He is survived by his son Roger and wife Toni, his daughter-in-law, Barbara, and his grandchildren Christian, Kyle, and Reagen. His second son, Gary, predeceased him in 2014.
Lou was born and was raised into the Syrian Orthodox community in California but in 1965 he became a member of the Church of God in Pasadena, CA, and remained so for more than 50 years. He became a long-standing elder, eventually offering biblical teachings to the congregations for decades. In 2014 he and his wife moved to the Nashville, TN area.
His life was a testament to the cornerstones of his devotions to God, family, friends, and country. Lou served honorably in the U.S. Army in an administrative function as an enlisted Corporal and was stationed at the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany after WW 2 ended.
Lou was the first person in his extended family to attend a four-year college university, graduating from California State University, Los Angeles with a BA in Public Administration. Later he received a Master’s degree in the same field.
He spent the next 30 years serving the citizens of Los Angeles County admirably and without blemish. He rose to the rank of Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Probation Department. At the time of his retirement, he had a staff of 5,000 county employees.
Despite his advanced age, Lou was a beacon of positive energy for his retirement community—giving hope to many seniors struggling with life challenges. He was the perfect example of diligence and perseverance in life having survived almost a century through wars, economic upheaval, and personal tragedies. He told many that he considered himself to be tremendously blessed by being born an American, a land that gave him and his family the opportunity at a wonderful life.
A life celebration will be held on Monday, July 19th at 11 am in the chapel of Crestview Funeral Home with burial at Crestview Memory Gardens.
