Roy R. Pettit

In Loving Memory of ROY R. PETTIT aka "Hutos Nov. 21, 1958 - July 27, 2007 Beloved friend, "brother", gifted artist, former United States Marine and long-time resid ent of South Arcadia died peacefully at his residence after a painful and heroic 3 year struggle with cancer. He was taken from us at age 48 and will be sorely missed by all for his outrageous sense of humor, endless mental curiosity on anything academic, an unwavering loyalty to all he knew and his love of the outdoors. Roy was a product of local public schools, graduating from Arroyo High in El Monte in 1976. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corp Reserve and served at the Tustin helicopter base per forming aircraft structural repair. After completing his enlistment he enrolled at Cal State Long Beach and earned his BA in Fine Art. Roy then was awarded a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marines after finishing Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA and served as an officer in a tactical engineering battalion. This resilient and courageous man, who had a difficult childhood where his large size, independence and intelligence often invited the wrath of heartless bullies in a working-class neighbor hood, became one of the few and the proud to endure and successfully complete both the enlisted and officer Marine Corp boot camps. Roy then returned to Long Beach State and obtained a Masters degree in Fine Art for his paintings that were critically praised by his colleagues and the local art community for their provocative qualities and sheer display of talent. With his prolific writings and profound intelligence, Roy carefully chronicled his lifetime of work with his usual irreverent wit and humor both b efore and after he knew he was dying. Roy was man who never complained. Roy is survived by his tight circle of childhood friends from the neighborhood, including (amongst many others) Ernie & Steve Algorri (Arcadia, CA), Kevin Soltis (Edwards A.F. Base, Mojave), Jeff Phillips (Colorado Springs, CO), Bill Taggart (Arcadia, CA), Todd Witt (Monrovia), and Glenn Bayhurst (El Monte, CA) who all jointly request that one be hoisted in Roy's honor. "Live life in such a way that you desire nothing more than to live this very same life again and again." Till we meet again . . . . .