Norman Earl Loop’s name will remain among the stars for as long as two satellites remain in space.
Loop was a master welder, boilermaker and iron worker who built early exploration satellites. When he welded the two halves of the Pioneer space probe together, his name was engraved on the probe and on another space-bound satellite.
Before Loop became famous on a galactic scale, he enlisted in the Marines and fought in the South Pacific during World War II. When he was honorably discharged in 1945, Loop moved to New York then Colorado, where he became a member of The American Legion. He also served with the All Veteran Honor Guard and participated in more than 500 military honor services at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
In his spare time, Loop volunteered with Meals on Wheels for almost a decade and maintained the flags at the Littleton Community Center and at the WWII Memorial in Littleton, Colo.
Loop died on July 13 of cancer. He was 78.