Obituaries for DECEMBER 2005; Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, La.

Submitted by Louis Lavedan.

Source: The Lafourche Daily Comet

Last modified: 24 Dec 2005


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December 28. 2005 2:44PM

Randall Toups

Randall Joseph Toups, 82, of Waco, Texas, a U.S. Army Airman in World
War II whose on-the-fly mechanical innovations significantly contributed
to modern-day aviation, died, Dec. 1, 2005, after a short illness.
Services were at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 6125 Bosque Blvd. with
Rev. Norm Steinke officiating. Burial was at Oakwood Cemetery by
OakCrest Funeral Home of Waco, Texas.

Toups, a retired petroleum engineer who spent most of his 30-plus-year
career in the aerospace defense industry, was born and raised in
Thibodaux. He moved to Waco in 1956 to take a job with Phillips
Petroleum Co. in McGregor. The company later merged with North American
Rockwell, then became Rocketdyne and later was bought by Hercules. Much
of his work on solid-fuel rocket motors was top secret.

He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Lois Stelzer Leftwich Toups,
seven of his eight children from his first marriage to Ila Gene Moore
Toups, and four stepchildren.

He interrupted his studies at Louisiana State University in 1943 to
enlist in the Army, where he served as staff sergeant in the 878th
Bombardment Squadron in Saipan. A born innovator, he capably
jerry-rigged and invented when supplies and parts weren't available. He
took his college books with him to war, and after discharge, graduated
from LSU where he helped establish the school's first petroleum
laboratory.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Verna Boudreaux Toups and Harry
Sydney Toups Sr., of Thibodaux; four of his five siblings; son
Christopher Stuart Toups; and an infant granddaughter Bethany Wieting.

His seven surviving children are Daniel Paul Toups and Cynthia Jane
Toups Threlkeld (John), both of Denver; Bradley Gerald Toups (Sharon) of
Taylor, Texas; Catherine Toups Atkinson (Rod) of Bethesda, Md.; Ronald
Glenn Toups (Nancy) of Hewitt; Cheryl Toups Hartmann (Wayde) of Woodway;
and Jeffrey Blake Toups of College Station, Texas. His four stepchildren
are Carolyn Leftwich Swoveland of Pueblo, Colo.; Leon Leftwich (Peggy)
of Clifton, Texas; Brad Leftwich (Melissa) of Hewitt; and Barbara
Leftwich Wieting (Ken) of Milwaukee. He has 32 grandchildren and six
great-grandchildren.

Memorials can be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church building fund at
200 Factory Dr., Waco, TX 76710-6958