Michael Roarty

ROARTY, Michael J. 82, of Tampa, passed peacefully at the Melech Hospice House on February 11, 2018. The son of Helen and Joseph Roarty, Michael, proud of his Irish Roots(Gola Island, Donegal County), was born in Akron, Ohio, and graduated from Barberton High School. He attended Heidelberg College (OH) on a football scholarship and also played basketball. After sports injuries ended his athletics, he attended the University of Georgia for one year. He completed his education at John Carroll University, (OH), where he graduated with a B.S. in Social Science in 1959. Michael worked with his father in the horse racing industry at Hialeah and Gulfstream Park in South Florida before becoming department head of money room operations at various Cleveland area thoroughbred and harness race tracks. Then, while teaching English at Chamberlin High School in Twinsburg, OH, he met Judy Hoke, a Department Head of Business Education. They were engaged and then married on December 21, 1963. Michael's keen interest, knowledge, and education in the financial securities business led to his licensure in 1968 as a registered representative of Golden United Investment Corp. He moved his family to Tampa, FL in 1973 after a promotion to Director of Training for Atlantic Gulfstream Corp. of Florida. Michael was considered by many to be the father of a personal financial planning movement in the Tampa Bay area. He was a past president and chairman of the Tampa Bay Chapter of International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP). In 1980 Michael received the professional designation of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) earned from American College in Bryn Mawr, PA. His strongest interests were in personal financial planning and creation of personal investment portfolios for the individual investor. To that end, he formed Professional Financial Management Corporation (PFM) in 1983. His experience as a trainer of 3,000-plus individuals for licensure and sales of insurance and securities led to formation of the American Academy of Finance, which in 1985, received an effective registration from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a 2.5M initial public stock offering(IPO) Michael was a charter member of the USF Green Jacket Club and a past president and chairman of Tampa Sports Club. An avid golfer and a fan of all sports at the high school, college and professional levels, Michael and Judy also pursued a joint interest in physical fitness when they formed Bay Runners World, Inc. Their company owned and operated four Athletic Attic stores for the Gainesville, FL, based franchise. Judy and the couple's three sons managed three Tampa locations and one in Bradenton, FL. Michael is survived by his loving family: his wife of more than 54 years, Judy; and sons, Kevin and Mark Roarty. He was predeceased by his youngest son, Robert Sean Roarty (Angela). Also surviving are grandsons, Kyle and Colin Roarty; granddaughters, Gabrielle Roarty and Ashley Munitz (Dan); and great-granddaughters, Danica and Ariana Munitz. No memorial services will be held. The family requests gifts be made in memory of Michael Roarty to Melech Hospice House, 11125 N 52nd St., Tampa, FL 33617.