Eldon T. Loveless

May 4, 1932 - Nov. 28, 2020

Date of Service: Dec. 12, 2020

Eldon T. Loveless, an 88-year-old resident of Burley, passed away at home on Saturday, November 28, 2020.

Eldon was born May 4,1932, in Burley, Idaho, the son of William Kenneth Loveless and Lucy Ellen Tilley; the youngest of three children, joining his sister, Louise (Ray) Stoddard, and eldest brother, Harold (Evelyn) Loveless. Their father passed when Eldon was only two-and-a-half years old. Eldon graduated from Burley High School in 1950, where he was actively involved in basketball and baseball.

After graduation, Eldon worked on his grandpa Tilley’s farm, then as a civilian at Hill Air Force Base. He served in the U.S Coast Guard for three years, stationed in California, and then as a Captain in Washington. After his service, Eldon briefly returned to Idaho before moving to the Anaheim area of California in 1954, with his cousin, Richard Tilley, to work as a machinist for five months at the Lockheed Corporation, and nine years as an electrical engineer at North American Aviation, which included a job on a secret minuteman missile systems project, as well as working with the space program toward getting the first man to the moon. After that, Eldon worked for National Cash Register (NCR) for three years in Hawthorne, also as an engineer.

During this time, he reunited with, and in 1957, married (in Tijuana, Mexico), Marilyn (“Jody”) Palmer (from Pocatello,Idaho), whom Eldon had previously met in Burley, Idaho. Their daughter, Kathy, was born in Inglewood, California in 1958, after which they moved to Buena Park. Their son, Ken (Kenny) was born in Anaheim in 1961.

Eldon moved back home to Burley with his two children, having divorced Jody after 14 years of marriage. During his first year back in Idaho, he drove the truck for Dick Tilley’s small gas station, and had his own bean field. Following that, Eldon opened a family entertainment center named “LD’s” for three years. He worked at the Simplot plant for three years after LD’s closed, then worked as a reactor operator at the EG&G geothermal plant in Raft River.

He met and married Virginia Seek April 16, 1977, who had three sons: Forrest, Wade and Ryan Seek. Eldon, Virginia, and Ryan moved to Blackfoot, Idaho, while Eldon worked for the Idaho National Engineering Lab (INEL) for 11 years. He retired in 1992, at the age of 60. About a year later, he had a heart attack that led to a triple bypass surgery.

During his retirement, Eldon enjoyed playing Pinochle two to three times per week at the senior center, golfing with his good friend, Ben (and others), spending time with family and friends, gardening, fixing things around his home, and going on cruises with Virginia and family. Eldon bought some family property in Maricopa, Arizona, where they lived during the winters. They also had a fifth-wheel trailer which they used to travel around the U.S. and take summer trips to Montana to be with Virginia’s family. Virginia, who passed in 2015, was the love of Eldon’s life. Eldon truly missed her until the day he died.

Eldon was passionate about watching football on TV, sometimes watching two or three games on different TV sets at the same time. Everyone enjoyed being around him, with his personality, playfulness, and great sense of humor. He was never hard to find with his loud voice and laugh.

Eldon is survived by his children, Kathy (Frank) Marker of Burley, and Ken (Chris) Loveless of Atlanta; his stepsons, Forrest (Rinrin) Seek of California, Wade (Jan) Seek of Burley, and Ryan Seek of Arizona; his grandchildren, Dee Dee (Eric) Fanning of Montana, Richard (April) Nash of Portland, Lauren (Yashua) Barrett of California, Katie (Charlie) Jamison of Burley, David Marker of Pocatello, and Rachel Loveless of Atlanta; 8 great-grandchildren; as well as several step-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren; and one step-great-great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother and sister; as well as his great-grandson, Bailey Nash.

The family would like to thank all the staff of the Intermountain Homecare and Hospice, and also Norco, for such immediate and personal care needed each day.

The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, December 12, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, where a visitation will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, December 11, and from 9 until 9:45 a.m. prior to the service on Saturday. Burial will be in Pleasant View Cemetery.

For those unable to attend the funeral in person, a live webcast of the Funeral Service will be available at the following link: https://youtu.be/8W7Yu8oj3GY.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks will be required and social distancing will be observed for those attending the visitation or funeral service.