Afton Henry Roose (June 27, 1934 – September 4, 2021)
Afton Henry Roose was born on June 27, 1934, to Jan Cornelius Roose and Ella Neieusma Roose on his grandfather’s farm just outside the small Dutch community of Peoria, Iowa.
The son of sharecroppers, he worked his Dad’s farm until his eighteenth birthday when he joined the Air Force to see the world. While at navigator school in Ardmore, OK he met Rita Bickley on a blind date where she was attending Texas Women’s University in Denton. The two fell in love and married at Rita’s home in Farmersville on May 31, 1958. They traveled extensively as part of his Air Force career – living in Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Nebraska, Okinawa, and California before retiring and returning to Farmersville in 1972.
During his Air Force career, Afton served as both a navigator and an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) on a B-52 crew. At the height of the Vietnam War, he flew combat missions on an RC-135 reconnaissance plane, listening in on enemy radio transmissions. He finished his service as a Major, working as an Intelligence Officer with both the U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes. He retired as a member of the Association of Old Crows – a professional organization specializing in electronic warfare and tactical information operations.
Upon his retirement and return to Farmersville, Afton became a Letter Carrier for the U.S. Post Office downtown. He walked the streets of Farmersville for 20 years delivering the mail and became good friends with most of the town and business owners.
As a long-time member of First Baptist Church Farmersville, he served many years as Chairman of the Deacons and faithfully taught his Men’s Sunday School Class for decades. Afton talked most often, however, of driving the Church Bus to pick up neighborhood kids for church and the conversations that he had with the children on the bus.
Afton could fix anything and was always welding, hammering, or tinkering. He taught his kids how to work on their own cars, he built barns and raised cattle for most of his life in Farmersville. He was interested in everything and was an avid reader. He taught both of his boys the value of hard work and to “shoot straight” with people.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Rita Roose. He is survived by his two sons Ken and Robert, their wives Robin and Rose, four grandchildren (Melanie Cottongame, Bryan Roose, Rebecca Fanning, and Christian Roose), and five great-grandchildren (Rylie and Levi Cottongame, Charlotte and Lauren Roose, and Judah Roose).
Visitation at Hurst’s Fielder-Baker Funeral Home will be held Tuesday, September 7th from 5:00 – 7:00 PM with a Family-Only Graveside service to be officiated by Dr. Bart Barber and Tracy Odneal on Wednesday, September 8th at the IOOF Cemetery in Farmersville. Honorary Pallbearers are the Men's Bible class of First Baptist Church of Farmersville.
Afton will be greatly missed, but we look forward to being reunited with him again in Heaven.