ROY EDWARD KARST

KARST, ROY EDWARD, Devoted father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, brother, and friend passed away on March 22, 2011, at age 84 years young.
Making a difference in the lives of others while always giving of himself unconditionally, Roy Karst pursued the best in each and every one of us. He believed in you, sometimes more than you believed in yourself. It was his way of making sure that you were living up to your potential. It was simply, his greatest gift that he shared with so many people on a daily basis.
"The Golden Rule," was not just a phrase to Roy, it was the mantra by which he raised his family, ran his business and built his friendships.
With the Karst family settling in Central Florida in the early 1900's and building their citrus empire where downtown Orlando now currently stands, Roy, upon his return from serving his country as an active member of the US Coast Guard during World War II, returned to Central Florida to join the family business. Working from the ground up for Karst Inc., Roy and his brothers, through the lessons of their father Emil, were devoted to learning how to make Karst Inc., one of the largest citrus management companies throughout Central Florida during the early 1950's well into the late 1980's.
Among the many special gifts Roy possessed was his natural ability as a peacemaker and motivator to the hundreds of people that worked alongside of him in his large agricultural and mechanical based labor force. There were many young men of limited means seeking jobs in the groves, Roy always made a point to try to personally make a difference in their lives. "The strong take care of the weak," was a favorite saying of his and whenever he saw the opportunity to help someone improve their lives, he would jump in with both feet.
Never afraid of hard work, he loved to talk about the "old days" when guiding his agricultural business was often times a daunting task. "Times were tough but we made it happen," he would always say. Hundreds of the company's signature green trucks, loaded thousands of times with Florida citrus, rolled into local packing and processing plants under his management. In the 1960's, Karst Inc., expanded operations into South Florida.
Up until the time of his death, Roy Karst, President of Karst Inc., still arose by 4:30 or 5am every day and made sure to go into the office to manage tasks of the company's current operations, even if only for few hours at a time.
Besides his endearing love for his family and work ethic that was second to none, some of his greatest pleasures in life were staying at the family's cabin on Sebastian inlet (until the land was made into a state park in 1971). Boating and fishing off the pristine and uninhabited inlet "in the early days" when there was a single dirt road and before there was even a causeway over the inlet to connect south Florida was another favorite story of his.
As a young boy, his passion was for camping and fishing especially on Lake Down and the Butler Chain of Lakes. He loved to share the story of how he and his young buddies would be dropped off on Lake Down in the Butler Chain to fish and camp for days at a time. "My Pop would just check on us every few days and leave a loaf of bread in case we didn't catch enough fish." He loved to tell stories about his boyhood adventures to his grandchildren who also share his same love of fishing and the great outdoors.
Although fishing and camping were a major part of his earlier days, he looked most forward to August every year and the first kick-off to start the Gator football season. Annual ventures to Gainesville (and Jacksonville via the St. Johns River) were a part of his life for many, many years. A Gator Booster and season ticket holder since the mid 50's his passion for college football and Gator Nation is evident throughout his home and office.
Although no amount of words, history or stories could pay tribute to a man who touched so many lives in so many different ways, Roy felt that laughter was his medicine and practical joking was one of his methods to curing all. He was a true Karst in that respect and he and his brothers were famous for some of the jokes and pranks they played over the years, especially on dear friends that he will now join in Heaven including "Uncle Charlie" Arnold, Walter Dun, Charlie Grundler, and so many more of the "old Florida boys" that helped Orlando become what it is today.
It is this love of life, laughter and his passion for the great outdoors that will be the cornerstone of a memorial and celebration of his life, to be held at the Karst lake house for close family and friends at sunset on April 8, 2011, Gator attire requested.
Roy is survived by his loving wife for over 43 years, Ramona Page Karst, his only living brother Loyd Karst, his six daughters: Linda
Herman, Laura Hollinger, Sara Cox, Robin Thomas, Sandy Hogaboom and Kristi Gomen, as well as eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden,
Florida.