Obituary:
Frederick Test Loomis
Spouse: Helene J. Shafer
Born: January 16, 1926
Died: July 3. 1996
Publication: The Montclarion
Date: July 12, 1996
Popular pharmacy figure By Mike Fitelson
Frederick Loomis dies
The MontclarionMemorial services will be held today at the Piedmont Community Church at 1 p.m. for retired Montclair Village pharmacist and longtime Piedmont resident, Frederick Test Loomis, who died July 3.
Loomis, 70 and an avid golfer, died Saturday of natural causes after completing a round of golf with a friend at the Claremont Country Club.
Loomis was a popular figure in the Village during his years at Guy's Drug Store on Mountain Boulevard, first from 1953 to 1963 and then from 1983 until the store was sold to Longs in 1991.
Tom Stenstrom called his brother-in-law one of the friendliest people he had ever met. "he was a very liable guy, there is no question about it," Stenstrom said. "He knew a lot of people. One of his favorite sayings was, 'yeah, I know him. He's a friend of mine.'"
Loomis was born in Pasadena and raised in Palo Alto. He joined the Army Air Corps in the closing days of World War II. Flight school was canceled shortly before he could attend, so he returned to the West Coast where he attended Stanford University, graduating with an engineering degree in 1948.
That year he married Helene Shafer, whose father founded the Guy's Drug Store chain in 1919. Loomis went on to earn a pharmaceutical degree from UC-Berkeley in order to work in the family store.
In 1963, he began opening pharmacies in Contra Costa County eventually running stores which assumed the Guy's Drug Store name in Moraga, Lafayette and Alamo.
"He loved being a pharmacist, helping people," said his youngest son, Dave. "People came in concerned about being sick and he would put them at ease and impart to them the information they needed to hear. He was the antithesis of what other physicians become. He made people feel at ease."
Loomis enjoyed a multitude of activities such as sailing, painting, raising horses with his daughter, and--what became a rediscovered passion-- playing the tenor saxophone.
"He tasted a little bit of everything," Dave Loomis said. "He really enjoyed the journey of life. He loved to be around people who did things."
Loomis was also known for his sense of humor.
As a graduate of both Stanford and UC-Berkeley, collegiate rivals, Loomis was always a winner at the Big Game--he'd wear a red tie on the way in to the football stadium and change to a blue tie if Cal won.
A friend of long standing, Art Harper, who met Loomis through the Piedmont Boy Scout troop their sons joined, was frequent sassing partner of Loomis as the two continuously joshed and ribbed each other. Loomis never allowed the verbal sparring to become mean-spirited.
"We kidded the heck out of each other but I never heard Fred say some- thing cutting or derogatory," Harper said. "It was always in good humor."
Additionally, Harper called Loomis a tremendous conversationalist who was "wonderful at parties."
"He would instantly spot someone dangling off to the side and go talk to that person and get the guy involved and move him into the crowd," Harper recalled. "When you had him over to your house, you knew your party would be a success."
Harper had played a round of golf with Loomis the day he died and said his longtime friend had played well, winning their longstanding dollar bet be beating Harper by four holes.
"His day was just great," Dave Loomis said. "he had just gotten a new driver. He was like a little kid with it."
In addition to his wife of 48 years, Loomis is survived by a sister, Catherine Hayden of Berkeley; four children, Susan Hamer of Lebanon, Ore., Rick Loomis of San Diego; Tom Loomis and Dave Loomis, both of Lafayette; and 11 grandchildren.
Remembrances may include contributions to the American Heart As- sociation, Multiple Sclerosis, or a favorite charity.