Wilbur C. Roach

Wilbur "Bill" Roach passed away on Nov. 24 in Prescott, Ariz., at the age of 92.
Wilbur lived a long and colorful life. Family and countless friends will miss him terribly. No one who met Wilbur remained a stranger, and he always enjoyed finding the "good" in people.
Wilbur was born in Windber, Pa., and grew up in Tawas City as one of Roxie Roach's 14 children. He often said that he was 10 years old before he learned that the dinner prayer didn't end with "amen pass the potatoes."
Wilbur always had a burning desire to fly, and joined the Army Air Corps just prior to World War II. To qualify for flight school, he sought out a tutor in his off hours to learn higher mathematics. He spent most of the war flying P-40s in the Aleutian Islands, fighting the horrendous Arctic weather far more than the enemy. Late in the war, he was an instructor at the Air Corps flight training center in Texas.
He met and courted an Army nurse, Sophie Kaczmarek, the love of his life. He courted her long-distance, flying in a fighter plane each weekend from Texas to Tennessee where she was stationed. He proposed to her in the back of an Army truck when they were catching a ride to an Air Force dance. He continued his Air Force career, eventually flying jet fighters in the Air Force Reserve, and retired as a Lt. Colonel after 30 years of service to his country.
Wilbur and Sophie raised four of their own children in Tawas, and their home was always open to all kids. They shared 50 years of marital bliss until Sophie's death in 1996. Wilbur's work was as colorful and varied as his life, but his favorite job was being a flight instructor and manager of the Iosco County Airport, which he did part-time for most of his working life.
After heart surgery limited his flying career, Wilbur spent his time managing his residential rental units and visiting his family, who he loved so much. Most recently, he enjoyed traveling with his son Wil, who officiates high school sports, to watch the games.
Wilbur was a life-long Mason and Shriner. During his later years he enjoyed transporting children from northern Michigan to the Shriner's Hospital in Chicago for medical treatment.
Always with a cigar, smile and kind word, he will be missed.
Wilbur is survived by his children, John Roach, Kathy Frederick, Mary Abbott and Wil Roach; his grandchildren, Roger and Jimmy Frederick, and Roxey, Leesa, Justin, and Rachel Roach; his brothers Robert and Richard; sisters Anita Davis and Betty Daily; and many nieces and nephews, all of whom will miss him greatly.
A memorial service will be scheduled in Tawas at a later date. Please send any memorials to the Shriner's Hospitals in Wilbur's name.