Sunday's Obituary - Alphonso Hilliard "Punch" Edmonds

From the April 10, 1972 edition of the Monroe News Star in Monroe, Louisiana:

Monroe News Star - 4/10/1972

Friday's Faces from the Past - Loftin Brothers

Robert and Billy Loftin - 1928 White, McCurtain County, Oklahoma

This photograph belonged to my great grand aunt, Lena Rhoda Steele McLelland.  After several failed attempts to connect these Loftin brothers to my Steele family, I decided to research the McLelland family line.

Here is the connection I discovered...

• Lena's husband, James A. "Jim" McLelland, had a sister named Louisa Delilah.  
• Louisa Delilah married Samuel Reuben Loftin
• Louisa Delilah and Samuel Reuben had a son, William A. "Willie" Loftin, born in 1882
• Willie married Emma Love
• Robert and Billy were the sons of Willie and Emma Loftin
• Dr. Robert Love Loftin, 1913-1991 (m. Willodene Alfrey)
• Lt. Col. William Able Loftin, Jr., 1915-1969 (m. Doris Thomas)

Two months after posting this photograph in my Ancestry.com tree, I received the following:

"This made my day.  Robert was the love of my life.  He was a caring physician and the kindest, loving person that anyone could imagine.  A true southern gentleman.  Losing him still leaves a huge void."