Alan Robert Protheroe

Alan Robert Protheroe Alan Robert Protheroe died surrounded by his three daughters on March 8 after celebrating his 96th birthday the previous week. He was born in Beverly, New Jersey to parents Albert and Ethel Pearson Protheroe. Both of them emigrated from England and entered the United States through Ellis Island before he was born. He graduated from Wilbur Watts High School in Burlington, New Jersey in 1943 and immediately volunteered for the United States Marine Corps. Alan attended boot camp at Parris Island, in Beaufort, South Carolina. This was followed by additional training to prepare him for his assignment to Marine Bombing Squadron 613 based on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific. Alan served as radioman and gunner on the B25 flight crew that participated in the Marshall Islands Operation. The strong friendships with the VMB 613 men with whom he served were lifelong. He and his wife Jane attended many reunions across the United States. The highlight of the reunions was participation in the 50th anniversary commemoration of the battle for Kwajalein and Roi-Namur with members of VMB 613 included as honored guests in the ceremonies. Following his discharge after the end of World War II, Alan returned to New Jersey to study engineering at Drexel University. He was employed at the R.D. Wood Company in Florence, New Jersey until he moved to E.F. Houghton and Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he worked for 21 years. In 1988 Alan and his wife Jane Schnell Protheroe, to whom he was married for 67 years before her passing in 2014, settled in Hilton Head. After living on Blue Heron Point for 25 years, they moved to a home in The Cypress. Through the years, Alan found enjoyment a variety of ways. Highlights included any time with his wife, fishing off his dock or boat after he moved to Hilton Head, and music--which was always playing in his home. His daughters especially remember his handyman skills; he seemed able to teach himself to do anything well. He is survived by his daughters Nancy and Susan, both of Hilton Head, and Wendy of Newton, Massachusetts. He is also survived by grandsons Jeff, Evan, and Alexander, and Jeff's children. His ashes will be interred at Beaufort National Cemetery as part of a military funeral honors ceremony with his family in attendance. Keith Funeral Services is assisting the family.