Milton Roth

Milton V. Roth, 87, of Woodinville, Wash., died Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014, at Evergreen Hospice Center in Kirkland, Wash.

He was born July 18, 1926, in Wittenberg, Mo., son of Victor and Dorothea "Dora" Kasten Roth. He and Bertha "Billie" Norris of Marion, N.C., were married May 11, 1946, in Lake Charles, La.

Milton is survived by his wife, Billie; four daughters, Carol and Rebecca "Becky" Roth of Woodinville, Vicky Hardy of Issaquah, Wash., and Ellen (Don) Ladwig of St. Charles, Mo.; four grandchildren, Leslie Tucker of Eureka, Mo., Laura (Kevin) Sokoloski of Burien, Wash., Amy (Hans) Hentschel of Lawrenceville, Ga., and Christopher Hardy of San Francisco; and five great-grandchildren, Jacob Tucker, David and Ryan Sokoloski, Aidan and Grace Hentschel.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Richard Roth of Frohna, Mo.; and two sisters, Verna Maevers of Egypt Mills and Norma Chapman of Jackson.

Milton was only 17 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943, during the height of World War II. He survived boot camp at Farragut, Idaho, and was sent to Iowa State A&M College in Ames for training on the theory, design and operation of diesel engines. He was then sent to Chicago for advanced training on installation of diesel engines, followed by additional training in Beloit, Wis., on diesel engines for the Navy's amphibious assault ships, the LSMs (Landing Ships, Medium). Following training on installation of LSMs diesel engines at Little Creek, Va., Milton was assigned to the engine crew of USS LSM-264, which was being built in nearby Kerney Shipyard in Newark, N.J.

Following commissioning in New York Harbor in 1944, the LSM-264 and its crew soon found themselves in the midst of one of the greatest sea and land battles of World War II ... the battle of Iwo Jima. One of the most famous pictures of the battle of Iwo Jima shows the USS LSM-264 on the beachhead while the Marines burrow in the sand despite the heavy rain of artillery fire from the enemy. Although damaged by enemy fire, the LSM-264 and its crew survived the deadly Iwo Jima campaign. After the end of World War II, the LSM-264 was sent to Lake Charles for decommissioning. Around this time, Milton met and married Billie.

After the USS LSM-264 was decommissioned, Milton was assigned to the engine crew of a U.S. Navy salvage tug operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he remained until he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy July 20, 1947, as a motor machinist mate first class.

Milton was employed in 1948 by Missouri Utilities Co. to operate and maintain an emergency and peak load electrical power plant in Charleston, Mo. This job and his Navy experience with diesel engines eventually landed him a position in 1952 as a diesel engineer on towboats on the inland waterways.

He was hired in 1966 by Missouri Barge Line of Cape Girardeau to be one of its chief engineers. He eventually advanced to port engineer in 1975 and remained so until his retirement in 1990. Milton was licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard as both a chief engineer and a towboat operator, and Missouri Barge Line named one of its towboats the "Milton V. Roth" after he had supervised its extensive refurbishing.

Following his retirement from Missouri Barge Line, Milton, Billie and Becky traveled extensively within the U.S., primarily by car. They visited almost every national park and monument and almost every state (except those in the Northeast). In 2002 they moved to live with their daughter, Carol, in Woodinville.

When he wasn't traveling, Milton enjoyed gardening and fishing, particularly when the catfish were biting. He and Billie spent many a summer morning on the Elks Lake in Cape Girardeau reeling in one big catfish after another. After moving to Washington, Milton continued to enjoy gardening and sitting out on the deck or on the bench under the giant cedar tree in the backyard to watch the local wildlife (deer, bears, cougars, raccoons and the occasional skunk) wander through. He also became quite a model-train aficionado, creating an entire landscape in one bay of the garage, complete with towns, farms, rivers, mountains, beaches and rail yards. He also enjoyed watching the silly antics of the family cat, Kicia.

Milton was a member of Elks Lodge, a lifetime member of VFW Post 3838, and a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. He became a member of Wooden Cross Lutheran Church in Woodinville in 2002.

A celebration of Milton's life will be Feb. 22 at his home.

Announcement courtesy of Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, Milton specifically requested that donations be sent to Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville.

Online condolences may be made at fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.