U.S. missionary pilot laid to rest

U.S. missionary pilot laid to rest

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

The remains of Neil Lousrer, a U.S. missionary pilot whose
chopper crashed on Monday in a remote village in Wamena, Papua,
was buried on Wednesday evening in Sinakma Cemetery, about one
kilometer north of Wamena, at the consent of his family.

Lousrer's body was previously arranged to be flown to the U.S.
for burial according to his family's wishes, but an examination
found this plan to be unfeasible, as parts of the body was badly
damaged in the accident and could not be embalmed for
transporting.

Lousrer, 30, is survived by his wife Sandy Roesler, 30, and
daughters Micah, 8, and Kaila, 3.

The three have been with Lousrer since 2003, when the pilot
decided to join Helimission, a missionary flight operator in
Wamena.

Lousrer had spent his childhood in Sentani district, Jayapura
municipality, the provincial capital of Papua, living with his
parents in a missionary complex. He completed his elementary,
junior and senior high school studies in Papua and attended a
university in the Philippines.

Lousrer continued his academic career in the U.S., obtaining a
degree in aeronautics from the University of Texas, and found
employment as an aircraft mechanic in Colorado. He married Sandy
Roesler and joined Helimission in Papua last year.

Lousrer's helicopter crashed on Monday near Komamil village.
The cause of the accident is as yet unknown.