Willard E. Roe ’41

Willard died of heart failure Oct. 28, 2006.

A lifelong resident of Winter Haven, Fla., he majored in politics at Princeton. He was on the freshman football and swimming teams and was in Key and Seal. He roomed with Henry Pitts from sophomore year on.

During the war he spent three-and-a-half years in the Field Artillery Brigade in support of the French First Army. Separating as a lieutenant colonel, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Croix de Guerre.

Returning to Florida, Willard and his brother Fred transformed their father’s citrus business into Wm. G. Roe & Sons, worldwide packers, shippers, and marketers of citrus products. He was president of Florida’s Citrus Showcase, which played a leading role in building the Orange Dome. In 1992 Willard was honored for his lifetime achievements by the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. He helped establish the Lake Region Yacht and Country Club, where he was commodore.

Willard was predeceased by his daughter, Marjorie Rosemary Roe. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marjorie Henderson Roe; six children, Ellen Miller, Donna Danielle, Martha Burke, Bill, Quentin, and Morgan; and three grandchildren.