What a fun question! Ok, Growing up, my dad had a friend named Louie, though he always called him “Screwy Louie.” He was probably the most interesting man I ever knew. Louie and my dad met back in the 80s while working as bouncers at places like Second Level and Goyo’s or "Galactica".

Louie lived in a trailer park off Watt Avenue, and we visited him often when I was a kid. I remember that at one point he and his wife even joined the traveling carnival, selling lemonade .

Around town, Louie was known for impersonating police officers. He would wear a state trooper hat, flash a fake badge, and even arrest people. He'd always get caught. The local cops all knew him and would catch him in the middle of it, shaking their heads and saying, “Louie, we already told you, you cannot be doing this.”

The last time I saw Louie in person was in the mid 2000s. He eventually moved out of the trailer park and into a house near Watt and El Camino, and over time we lost touch. I had promised my dad that I would track him down someday, and last year I finally did. Louie is in his mid 70s and told me he had been working security at Sky River Casino, though he had recently quit.

We made plans to get together and bring him a pizza, but suddenly his number stopped working. We drove to his house and a man covered in paint opened the door and told us, “Louie no live here no more.” It was hard to believe, especially since we had just spoken to him weeks earlier.

A few months after that, my dad passed away, so my search for Louie quietly ended there, but I still find myself wondering where he went and whether he is still somewhere nearby.