Earl N. Roth, age 90, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at The Place at Merritt Island Assisted Living Facility.
Earl was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 12, 1918 and moved to Eustis with his family when he was five years of age. He attended Eustis Elementary School and Eustis High School.
Earl worked for his father, Nicholas Roth, a well-known general contractor in Eustis, until becoming employed by Lewis Carroll Trucking Company. He was drafted into the Army Air Force on July 18, 1942 and was assigned to the 449th Bomb Group out of Tucson, AZ after completing aerial gunnery school in Florida. From Tucson he flew to Italy where he was credited with 50 missions as a flight engineer in B-24s during WW II. After returning to the U.S. and for the remainder of the war, he taught others about aircraft instruments at Davis-Monthan Field in Tuscon.
Earl married Virginia Walter, of Eustis, at Keesler Field in Biloxi, MS on July 14, 1945. Discharged at the end of the war, the couple returned to Eustis. He then served in the Air Force Reserves until December 2, 1961. He was known as a jack of all trades to many, having learned many skills at a variety of positions, ending his full-time career as Chief Maintenance Engineer at the former Harry-Anna Crippled Childrens Hospital in Umatilla. He served on the Building Committee, helping to design the new Florida Elks Hospital, where he was employed until retirement in 1985 when the hospital closed. After retirement, he worked part-time building ultralight airplanes, crop dusting and other flying-related jobs which was one of his passions.
Earl was a member of the Eustis Rotary Club for several years and a long-term member of the Eustis Lodge #1578 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, serving as Grand Exalted Ruler and eventually becoming Central Florida District Deputy.
Earl was predeceased by his wife, Virginia, in February of 1993, and his sister, Janet, in November of 2005. His surviving family members include his daughter, Judy Phelps and her husband Ray, of Madison, MS, daughter Niki Bauschlicher and her husband Jon of Melbourne, FL, grandchildren Stephanie, April, Kimberly, Kelly Rae, Kurt, Shalyn and Amber. He is also survived by his brothers Donald Roth and Nicholas Roth, Jr. and his sisters Virginia Shenk and Dorothy Crook.
A memorial service will be held at 2:30 pm on Saturday, September 26, 2009 at the Eustis Elks Lodge, 2540 Dora Avenue, Tavares, FL.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wuesthoff Hospice and Palliative Care, 8060 Spyglass Hill Rd, Viera, FL 32940.
Arrangements entrusted to Davis-Seawinds Funeral Home, Melbourne, FL.