Carl George Roth

Carl George Roth died on March 13, 2018 after a brief illness.  He was predeceased by his brother, John Herman Roth.  He is survived by Shirley Dey Roth, his high school sweetheart and loving wife of 70 years.  He is also survived by his son Steven, his daughter Ellen Nelson (Robert), and three wonderful grandsons who knew him as Bah: Steven Nelson (Jessica), John Nelson (Rosanna) and Leyton Nelson. 

Carl was born in Royal Oak, Michigan on March 31, 1925 and moved with his family to Ann Arbor, where he graduated from Ann Arbor Senior High School in 1943 and, after serving two years in the Navy, attended the University of Michigan where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.B.A.  Carl’s career with Ford Motor Company was a long and fulfilling one, filled with achievements as he oversaw the development and management of manufacturing facilities both here and abroad.  Carl discovered Grosse Ile while serving in the Naval Reserve, and lived on the island with his family for over 25 years, where he was actively involved in community activities.  Moving to Louisville, Kentucky in 1975 as Plant Manager at the Kentucky Truck Plant, Carl supported the Anchorage Garden Club and Hobbs Chapel near their home in Anchorage, a community he and Shirley loved and that loved them deeply in return.

A vacation in 1955 to Canada’s Georgian Bay kindled a love of that beautiful area and in 1964 Carl and Shirley bought the Pancakes, an island where he would spend many blissful summer days with his beloved family designing and working on his cabin.  In all things Carl was a builder, and he loved hauling bags of cement up the steep, rocky path to the top of the island, and pounding nails until it was time for his evening bourbon.  His work on the Pancakes will never really be finished and will continue in his memory now that he has hung up his tool belt. 

Carl will be remembered for his generosity of spirit and expansive view of life.  He lived by the highest standards of decency, choosing to see the good in people that he summoned from them with his every word and deed.  He will be remembered as a thoughtful, humorous and generous gentleman – humble to a fault, patient with the painfully inept, and above all, deeply kind to all of those who were fortunate enough to know him and the power of his example. 

A family memorial service will take place this summer on Georgian Bay.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Carl’s memory to the Mary Free Bed Foundation, 235 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 or The Anchorage Garden Club, 1003 Glenbrook Road, Anchorage, KY 40223.

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