Irvin J. Loeffler was born in Evansville, Indiana on August 10, 1924. After graduating high school, he started his undergraduate studies at Purdue University, but he only finished his first year before enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps in 1942.

He was called to active duty in March 1943 and became an aviation cadet. On December 23, 1943, he graduated from bombardier/navigator school and became a commissioned officer. His crew was one of three B-26 bombardier-navigators crews selected for their navigational skills to be trained to fly all their missions as formation leaders. The bombardier-navigators would navigate an 18-plane formation to the target area. This required special skills and training, as any errors in navigation or bombing for a whole formation could be extremely costly and dangerous.

He flew 55 combat missions as lead navigator, including one in December 1944 that earned him and his crew the Distinguished Flying Cross, when he had to navigate his crew through enemy airspace with all of his navigational aids inoperable. After completing his tour of duty, Irv wanted to stay in Europe a while longer, so he accepted an offer for a non-combat position flying VIP personnel.

After the war, he continued his studies at Purdue University and graduated in February 1949 with a Bachelor of Science with honors. He stayed at Purdue for graduate school from 1949 to 1952, graduating with a Master of Industrial Psychology with honors.

In September 1961, Irv began work at the N.A.S.A. Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He worked there for 29 years as an aeronautical engineer before retiring in 1990. During this time, he was a member of the advanced turboprop project team, which won the Collier Trophy in 1987.

He passed away on November 5, 2015, in Westlake, Ohio at 91, after a lifetime of inspiring his three sons and six grandchildren to look to the stars.