LeRoy Perres Althouse

LeRoy Perres Althouse died Oct. 20, after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Althouse was born on April 2, 1926, with ancestry from Berks County, Penn.

He started his career in science as a medical technician who set up medical clinics for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Islands. He then worked at Shell Corp. in research and development before joining LLNL in 1960 where he found his passion in polymers and material sciences.

Althouse was a self-taught chemist who tackled unique problems for the National Security Agency. He published more than 25 papers and was the holder of several patents. He spent nearly his full 40-year career at LLNL devoted to solving special problems in the interest of national security and received numerous awards for his accomplishments.

A former supervisor stated that "...Roy had a very intuitive sense for chemistry and materials, and his pride in his work was evident and well-founded and that the Lab and the country have lost one their finest citizens.”

He is survived by his beloved wife, Olivia and his daughters Suzanne and Paris. He also raised five boys; Bryan, Keith, Ron, Jim and Jon who all called him dad and all of whom he loved as his sons. He also will be missed by his daughters-in-law; Lisa, Michele, and Diana. He had eight grandchildren; Farrell, Wyatt, Ashley, Kayla, Wynton, Alex, Breanna and Gabbi, in addition to many others who considered him Dad or papa. His memory endures in his legacy of kindness, humor and his way of living by example. He will remain forever in the hearts of his colleagues, family, friends and in all the lives he touched while he was here.

There will be no memorial service, per his request. Instead, he will be laid to rest at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Los Banos.