John A. Loomis; Retired Judge

John A. Loomis, 79, retired Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge. Appointed to the bench by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1969, Loomis served until 1983 and was named “outstanding trial jurist” by the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. and “trial judge of the year” by the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Assn. He served as chairman of the California Judicial College and for nine years headed the committee that formulates explanations of law read to California civil juries. Born and raised in Huntington Park, Loomis was educated at Stanford University, where he served as student body president. He practiced with the law firm Betts, Ely & Loomis, which evolved into Loomis, Shield & Smith. He made his home in Whittier for 41 years. As an attorney, he served as president of the Southern California Defense Counsel. On Thursday in Whittier of complications after surgery.