Louis Kahn, 87; Retired Drill Press Operator

Louis Kahn, 87, a retired drill press operator for Bell & Howell, died Saturday at his home in Thousand Oaks following a sudden illness.

Kahn was born Dec. 23, 1909, in Milwaukee. He spent his childhood and early adult life in Milwaukee, and in 1939 he moved to Chicago, according to his daughter, Arlene Adrian of Newbury Park.

After moving to Chicago, Kahn got a job with a company that sold leather to shoe repair shops. In 1940, he married his wife of 56 years, Erna.

Among Kahn’s favorite pastimes was watching sports on TV. “He loved the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cubs. He could sit and watch them on the TV all day,” Adrian said.

In 1949, Kahn began working for motion-picture camera and projector manufacturer Bell & Howell. He retired in 1974 at 65. But age did not slow Kahn down, according to his daughter. The same year he retired, he began working in the business office at F. W. Means Co. laundry service in Chicago.

Kahn worked for F. W. Means until the firm closed in 1984, and later that year he and his wife moved to Thousand Oaks.

Throughout his life, Kahn was a loyal member of the Democratic Party. “If you live in Chicago, you were a Democrat and, until the end, he was a happy Democrat. He died happy,” Adrian said.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Kahn is survived by a son, Harland, of Novato, and several grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Pierce Brothers Griffin Mortuary, Thousand Oaks. Interment will follow at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Cemetery, Westlake Village.