William Roosma

Maj. General WILLIAM A. ROOSMA, U.S. Army (Ret.)
On April 29, 2011, Will Roosma of Fairfax Station, VA died in his home after a long illness. He is survived by his loving wife, Sandra Youmans Roosma, daughters Tracey Meeks and Kelsey Tsompanas, son-in-law Michael Tsompanas, grandchildren Kellyn and Tanner Meeks, and Dimitri and Devon Tsompanas and brothers John and Garry Roosma. He was preceded in death by his parents Marjorie and John Roosma and son-in-law David Meeks. A second generation graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Will served in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Major General after 33 years of service, including deployments to Korea and Vietnam. Among his leadership post were the Panama Canal Zone during Operation "Just Cause" and commanding Fort Bragg during Operations "Desert Shield" and "Desert Storm". He also served as Director of the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee for President Ronald Reagan and was Commander of the Military District of Washington, D.C. In addition to his degree from West Point, he earned Master Degrees in Public Relations and Public Administration from Auburn University. After retiring from the Army in 1991, Will helped found three corporations and was a military consultant for MacDonald Douglas and the Boeing Company. Will's love for life, laughter, athletics and soldiers was well known among his friends. He will be deeply missed. Funeral services will be held at Fort Myer Memorial Chapel and Arlington National Cemetery on September 20, 2011, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Young Life, 231-A West Timonium Road, Timonium, MD 21093 or Heartland Hospice, 3900 Germantown Road, Suite 460, Fairfax, VA 22030.www.fmfh.com