JOSEPH ELIAS LOUIS
FROM SYRIA TO SILICON VALLEY Fr. Samer Youssef, D.Min., and Dn. John Dibs, M.Div.
On two summer afternoons in 2020, with COVID-19 restrictions in the air, Joseph ( Joe) Louis, a long-time parishioner of Church of the Redeemer Antiochian Orthodox Church in Los Altos Hills, California, shared his life story. Joe’s home in the hills of Los Gatos offers a commanding view of Silicon Valley, where Joe has studied and worked since 1964. This unassuming man has contributed his talent and resources to building up the church and has left a legacy to the communities in Silicon Valley. Joe was born in 1941 in Homs, Syria. His father was an orphan from World War I and worked as a bricklayer. Joe is the seventh of nine children, and sometimes had to miss school to help with his father’s work. Joe finished at the top of his class from the government high school, the only sibling in his family to attend high school. While growing up, he was outspoken and defended those around him who were treated unfairly. When he was 20 years old, an opportunity arose to continue his study in America. Joe was able to obtain a Syrian passport and permission to leave the country to fulfill his dream of becoming a civil engineer. Joe saw the chance to 30 March - April 2021
