© Enid News and Eagle

ENID, OK — Eldon Gerald Roush left us on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014. He missed the Super Bowl, but he found peace.

He is preceded in death by his brother, Vernon Roush and his sister, Oleta Haley. He is survived by his wife, Lavona, and his children, John Roush and wife, Cynthia, and Suzanne Jenlink and husband, Ron. His grandchildren include: Beth Holderby, David Holderby and wife, Gwyn, Michael Roush, and Jeffrey Roush. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Janell Roush; numerous nieces and nephews.

Born near Carmen, Okla., on March 22, 1927, to Fred A. Roush and Etta Harvey Roush, he was the youngest of the children.

As a young man, Eldon was an accomplished athlete. He was a noted player on the Carmen football and basketball teams and won All-Conference honors in both. His senior year, he was an All-State runner up in football.

Before graduating from Carmen High School, he enlisted in the Navy though he was still 17. After basic training, he shipped out on the U.S.S. Mercury and visited ports of call in the U. S. and South America. Promoted to Quartermaster, Eldon piloted his ship into many harbors, including New York City. Scheduled for the invasion of Japan, the war ended before he was called into this action.

After the war, he returned to Oklahoma and started college at Oklahoma A&M. During his time at the university, he was a member and officer of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Eldon also began dating a young woman from Lambert, Lavona Thorndyke, and married her on April 2, 1950. Later that year he earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering

Rather than pursue engineering, he instead chose to move to Lamar, Colo., where he farmed and taught school. He returned to Oklahoma in 1953 with his wife and new son, John, to farm the Thorndyke land near Lambert. He also did custom-cutting throughout the Midwest and taught math and coached in Bluff City, Kan., Aline and Dacoma to make ends meet. In December of 1956, Eldon and Lavona brought their daughter, Suzanne, into the world.

He was asked to join the First National Bank of Carmen in the 1970s, and was a vice president there for eight years before returning to his beloved farming and ranching.

Eldon was always active in the community. He was a member of the Carmen Rotary Club for over 20 years and served a term as president. He re-established the long-dormant Carmen Boy Scout troop and served as its first scoutmaster for six years. During that time, he was inducted into the Order of the Arrow and two of his scouts achieved the rank of Eagle. He served on the Board for the Lambert Public Schools, the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery and the Farm Bureau. He was an honorary FFA member and a longtime supporter of 4-H.

He took great pride in the fact that he was active in the American Legion since 1945, and folded the flag at many veteran funerals. Eldon personally placed flags on veteran’s graves at the Pleasant Ridge cemetery for decades. He was a Deacon at the First Christian Church, a quail hunter, a skillful pitch player and an avid golfer. He was quite proud of his golf trophies. Eldon retired from farming in 1989, but not from anything else. He remained active in the community, engaged with the farm he spent so much time nurturing and traveled extensively with Lavona throughout the United States and to far-flung places such as Ireland, England, Germany, Austria, Alaska, and Jamaica.

Together, Eldon and Lavona celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2010 on a cruise through the Caribbean with their entire extended family.

Until his failing health finally got the better of him, Eldon remained an active golfer, a frequent dominoes player, a good friend to many, a respected elder in the farming and banking community, a devoted father and a doting grandfather. He will be remembered for his lively sense of humor, his accepting nature, his driving intelligence and his unfailing generosity. Most of all, Eldon Roush will simply be remembered as a good man. He took care of his parents. He took care of his family. He took care of his land. He served his country when it called. He served his community when he thought it was required and he gave of himself to his friends and neighbors when it was needed. He will be missed by many.

Funeral service for Eldon will be Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. at Cherokee First Christian Church. Burial will follow at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery north of Carmen with arrangements by Lanman Funeral Home, Inc. of Cherokee. At Eldon’s request there will be no viewing. www.lanman memorials.com.

Memorials may be made to the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery of Carmen through the funeral home.

(Submitted by family)

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