Oscar H. Roos

Oscar H. Roos, age 99, of 150 Cook Hill Rd., Cheshire, CT died at St. Raphael Hospital on May 30, 2014. He was the husband of Barbara Wright Roos. Mr. Roos was born in New Haven on December 28, 1914, a son of the late Oscar G.A. and Beda O. Anderson Roos. He was a resident of Hamden for most of his life. He graduated in 1937 from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York with a degree in Civil Engineering and worked with civil engineering firms in Pittsburgh and New York City. Roos was drafted into the Army in June 1942, that September he attended Officer Training School and was commissioned to a Second Lieutenant in the Army Engineers with orders to report to Camp Claiborne to activate the 372 Engineer Regiment. Then in June 1943 he sailed with 20,000 men on the troop ship Louis Pasteur to land in Liverpool, and went by train to Wales. Here, work was started on building camps for more troops. In June 1944, he was sent to Tilbury Docks outside of London to build two concrete barges. These barges were towed to Normandy Beach and used for unloading docks. In August 1944, he went with the Third Army directly into Bar-le-Duc, France, where he rebuilt two hospitals that the Germans had bombed. He also repaired bridges at Cologne and Frankfort, and built an ammunition depot in etain, France. He continued to advance with the Third Army into Germany doing various jobs, the last being building a Prisoner of War camp for 100,000 prisoners. After the war ended, Roos attained the rank of Captain and was shipped back to Fort Belvoir. After returning from the service in 1946, Roos entered the lumber business at Centerville Lumber Incorporated until his retirement in 1980. He built the first major office building in Centerville at 2348 Whitney Avenue, and also two Hamden Medical Center buildings, located at 295 & 299 Washington Avenue. He was active as a director in the Hamden Chamber of Commerce and the Hamden Rotary Club, including serving as president in 1964, and a director in the Connecticut Retail Lumber Dealers Association. He was also a Life Member of the National Society of Professional Engineers and of the Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers. He was elected Rotarian of the Year for 2002-2003 for his dedication to the principles and ideals of Rotary International and for exemplifying service above self in the Hamden Rotary. He was a member of Bethesda Lutheran Church and the Rensselaer Society of Engineers as well. Besides his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Christine R. Puffer and her husband Richard of Carlisle, MA; sons Kenneth O. Roos & his wife Linda of Hamden and Richard W. Roos & his wife Cynthia of Branford. Richard W. Roos is President of Centerville Lumber Inc. He also leaves eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister Evelyn Langdon. His funeral will be from BEECHER & BENNETT FUNERAL HOME, 2300 Whitney Ave, Hamden on Monday at 11:30 AM followed by his Funeral Service at 1:00 PM in Bethesda Lutheran Church, New Haven. Friends may also visit with his family on Sunday from 3:00 to 6:00 PM at the funeral home. Burial with Military Honors will take place in Centerville Cemetery, Hamden. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Bethesda Lutheran Church, www.bethesdanewhaven.com , 305 St. Ronan St, New Haven, CT 06511.