Parade honors Alethia Loomis

Alethia Rannebeck Loomis grew up on a farm in Smith County and caught the "bus" (a box with three rows of bench seats mounted on a Ford chassis) to Athens High School close to Ionia. Upon graduation and normal school training, she became the teacher at Elm Creek and then Green Valley rural schools.

The story is that she pulled out the shirt tail of the cute (Clarence) Loomis boy from Ionia at a skating party. Forward a few years, that included their marriage and the end of WWII, to find the young couple living in the upstairs of Carl Loomis' house with a new baby, Sharon. (later Oral Wagner's house then Roger Meier's house in Mankato).

Clarence went into business with Lester Broyles doing electrical and plumbing, and L&B Electric was formed and opened shop on Commercial Street. By 1949, the young couple built the house at 214 E. Hamilton St. with the lumber from three rural school houses that were torn down. Son Marvin soon joined the family in the new home.

Business was good and Alethia started working at L&B when Sharon and Marv were busy with school.

The Loomis' were active in commerce, clubs and organizations in the Mankato community thru the mid-80s when a sudden cerebral hemorrhage took Clarence. Alethia kept the store open with the help of family and many friends until she retired.

During retirement Alethia has enjoyed her still-growing family, much card playing, PEO, Garden Club, birthday girls lunches and church events. At 102, she keeps busy around "the house that Clarence built" and still has to get her tomatoes planted.