Louis Eldon Teufel, 86, of McDermott, passed away Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at SOMC Hospice surrounded by his family. He was born September 8, 1936, in Franklin County, IN, a son of the late Louie and Ada Browning Teufel.
Louie was proud to have been the charter president of the former Lucasville Lions Club and a member of the former Portsmouth Lions Club. At the age of 29, he met a Lion who told him about the club’s sight-saving mission and he joined a meeting shortly thereafter. Louie, who had a private fear of blindness, never looked back and the rest is history. He was instrumental in having the local district support the Central Ohio Lions Eye Bank (COLEB) and in having the first eye enucleation kit brought to Southern Ohio Medical Center. Having the kit made sight-saving through eye donation a possibility in southern Ohio.
For his great contributions to the sight-saving mission of the Lions Club, Louie was awarded the Progressive Melvin Jones/Key Member Award, the Lions Extension Award, was the first-ever recipient of the Helen Keller Sight Award, was a three-time Lion of the Year Award winner, received the Governor’s Award of Merit and a Letter of Appreciation for Sight Saving Efforts from House Speaker, Vern Riffe. He was a COLEB Trustee and was also named the Chairman of the COLEB Board of Trustees. The Lions have lost a good many members as they have gone to their greater reward, but their service did not end with their eulogy service…lives were touched, and the ripple was set in motion…Lions still roar. Unfortunately, the local Lions Club was forced to disband due to a lack of participation.
A current member of All Saints Episcopal Church, Louie was a longtime member of the former First Lutheran Church in Portsmouth where he was a council member for many years. An entrepreneur, he worked in various positions over the years, including retiring from Davon Sand & Gravel and managing the SOHIO Service Station in Lucasville. Louie also served as a Boy Scout volunteer and loved to take his grandsons, who both became Eagle Scouts, boating on the Ohio River. He cheered for the Cleveland Browns and attended many Indianapolis 500 races over the years and would proudly tell you he had been at one in every decade since he was a young man. Louie also served in the Air Force Reserves and was activated for service during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Surviving is his wife of nearly 65 years, Alma Marie Baker Teufel. The couple married in Connersville, IN on September 14, 1957, and they enjoyed traveling together they visited every state in the USA and many other countries around the world. They were blessed with one son, Anton “Tony” Louis (Sharon) Teufel, of McDermott. Also surviving are a brother, Edwin Henry Teufel of Connersville; two grandsons, Justin K. (Sarah) Teufel and Nathan L. (Stephanee) Teufel; and three great-grandchildren, Charlotte Marie, Jameson Michael, and Hudson Louis Teufel.
In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by a brother, Layton M. Teufel.
Funeral services will be held at noon, Friday, July 7, 2023, at the Ralph F. Scott Funeral Home in Portsmouth with Rev. Gene Hallihan officiating and interment in Scioto Burial Park. The James Dickey Post #23 American Legion Honor Guard will provide military graveside rites.
The family will receive friends one hour prior to the funeral service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to SOMC Hospice, 2201-25th St., Portsmouth, OH 45662.
