At 5'9" and 195 lbs with a body built like a weight lifter, I was immediately drawn to photos of Louis Joseph Nacke II when researching for this year's tribute. You see, that describes my husband of 21 years... Upon closer investigation, Louis and my husband share a birthday, September 9 and an awful Magnum P.I." mustache in older photos...Seeing those mustached pictures along with unruly hair caused me to giggle out loud. How adorable. I was smitten and immediately knew I had to get to know more about this man.
Joey, as his family calls him, was born September 9, 1959 and was one of four kids. His family moved quite a bit and attended several schools finally settling in Pennsylvania. He graduated from George Washington High School in 1977 and Pennsylvania is what he considered home... He had two teenage sons from his first marriage to his high school sweetheart and from all accounts I read still had an amicable relationship with his first wife. He married Amy on September 16, 2000. On September 11, 2001, he had just celebrated his 42nd birthday, was about to celebrate his 1 year anniversary to his bride and they were literally just a few days away from moving into their dream home...
Lou was a man that liked to be in charge and to those that knew and loved him he seemed indestructible. When he was a boy while dressed in a some Superman pajamas and a cape, he ran through a glass door which required 100 stitches. Years later, he got a Superman tatoo to commemorate the incident.
Growing up in Western Pennsylvania he became a loyal and passionate fan of the Steelers and Pirates . He had developed a love for fine wines and had a discriminating palate. He and his wife Amy went to Napa Valley for their honeymoon in 2000. He avidly read wine magazines and spoke to experts until he himself became an expert. His father-in-law had a wine cellar and Lou would laugh and tell him, "When you're not around, I go in your wine cellar, get naked and roll around." He loved Emeril Lagasse. "BAM!" Lou knew a little bit about everything and loved to talk endlessly, but even "if he knew nothing about a topic he could make it up. He could BS with the best of them." He was meticulous and immaculate. He loved his red corvette and was caught cleaning the vents with a Q-Tip. However, he loved his wife more so he sold the corvette and bought Amy a pair of diamond earrings. "He was a rock with a soft spot in it."
He had a temper that afforded him the ability to never back away from anything or anyone. He was never anyone to allow something to slide. Additionally, he was fiercely protective of those he loved. Lou was an "in your face kind of guy and would not back down. He would cause a conflict just to make sure you understood his viewpoint." His sister, Paula remembers a guy she had dated that Lou and her other brother Ken did not like. The brothers hung the guy off the back deck by his ankles. She never had another date with him. "Your family's crazy."He once punched a guy through the window of the car when the driver nearly ran over his brother in a parking lot. Another time when a driver cut him off on the road, Lou got out of his car at a red light and said, "You got something to say to me? I'll knock you back into your Generation X." He was not a man would would wither from confrontation.
On the morning of September 11, 2001. Lou was on his way to solve a problem for a customer. It wasn't something he particularly wanted to do, but he knew it was necessary and if anyone could smooth the ruffled feathers of an upset customer, it was going to be Lou. Instead, this man like the other passengers of United Flight 93 were asked to solve a problem that goes beyond comprehension. But Lou was not a guy that would back down from a confrontation especially if it meant protecting people he loved.
September 9, 1959 - September 11, 2001
2011: I remember Mark Bingham.
2010: I remember Don and Jean Peterson.2009: I remember Hilda Marcin.2008: I remember Toshiya Kuge.2007: I remember Tom Burnett.2007: I remember Deora Bodley.2006: I remember Marion Britton.
2010: I remember Don and Jean Peterson.2009: I remember Hilda Marcin.2008: I remember Toshiya Kuge.2007: I remember Tom Burnett.2007: I remember Deora Bodley.2006: I remember Marion Britton.
Sources:
United Flight 93 & the Passengers & Crew Who Fought Back: Among the Heroes by Jere Longman
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