Ernest J. Van Loon

Ernest J Van Loon, age 91, of Phoenix passed away on Monday, March 22, 2004 at his residence. He was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Edna C. Van Loon. Mr. Van Loon was born on March 10, 1913, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Doctor John A. Van Loon and Christine Karrer Van Loon. Ernest Van Loon received a law degree from the Detroit School of Law in 1939. In December 1940 Mr. Van Loon entered the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent; where he served with great distinction until his retirement in December 1977. In December 1941 Mr. Van Loon, and his bride of four weeks, arrived in Hawaii where he had been assigned to the FBI's Honolulu field office. Four days after his arrival on the island, the Japanese airforce attacked the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor. Soon thereafter, martial law was declared and the Honolulu office was closed. Mr. Van Loon was then reassigned to the FBI field office in Los Angeles, California. The first ten years of Mr. Van Loon's FBI career were spent in the counter-espionage arena. As a supervisor at FBI Headquarters, he was involved in such famous atomic espionage cases as Klaus Fuchs, Harry Gold, David Greenglass and Julius Rosenberg. Following these investigations he was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the Cleveland, OH, field office. From Cleveland Mr. Van Loon was transferred in 1954 to Arizona as ASAC of the Phoenix office. During the 1960's and 1970's Mr. Van Loon specialized inPhoenix area bank robbery investigations. Survivors irclude his great amigo Humphrey Bogart Van Loon (Bogey), his three sons, James P. Van Loon of Paradise Valley, Arizona, William J. Van Loon of Atlanta, Georgia and Thomas J. Van Loon of Londonderry, New Hampshire, two sisLers MaryAnn Van Loon and Genevieve Dresden of Whitehall, Michigan, daughters-in-law, Ingrid, Beverly and Carol Van Loon, and two granddaughters Katherine J. Van Loon of Augusta, Georgia and Christine M. Van Loon of Atlanta, Georgia. A Memorial Mass will be held Friday March 26, 2004 at 10:30 AM at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 2312 B Campbell Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, 85016-5526.