BLUMENAUER, ROY CHRISTIAN, 80,

of Palm Coast, FL, passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009. Roy was born in Frederick, MD, on June 7, 1929.

After graduation from Frederick High School, Roy enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17 and was assigned to "H" Troop, 7th Cav. Regiment, 1st Cav. Div., during WWII. During his deployment abroad, Roy served as a guard at the Japanese Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Later in life, he was honored to serve as President of the National 1st Cav. Div. Assn. After his return from Japan, Roy obtained a summer job at the Pentagon and soon thereafter attended Rider College.

While at Rider, Roy joined the New Jersey Air National Guard and was subsequently called to active duty during the Korean War. Afterwards, Roy returned to Frederick and began work as a cost accountant for Fairchild Aircraft, which led to a managerial position with Hicks and Ingle Mechanical Contractors. Upon acceptance of that position, Roy transferred to Cape Canaveral, FL, where he was involved in the construction of rocket launch facilities for NASA and Pratt and Whitney.

During his time at the Cape, Roy met his wife, of 52 years, Virginia Patterson. They married and moved to West Palm Beach where Roy started R and V Sales, a sole proprietorship in the sale of valve products to mechanical contractors. When plans for the development of Walt Disney World were announced, Roy realized the potential for growth in the Central Florida area. In 1973, Roy and Virginia founded what is now known as The Blumenauer Corporation, supplying mechanical contractors with a variety of pump, valve, and boiler products. Today, The Blumenauer Corporation is an industry leader that provides quality water pumps to distributors in Florida, the Caribbean, South America, and beyond.

Roy spent his retirement living between FL and the mountains of Franklin, NC. In Franklin, Roy volunteered as a greeter at the Smokey Mountain Host of North Carolina, where he welcomed visitors to the Great Smokey Mountains. Roy was a lifetime member of the VFW and ASHRAE, and was also a member of the Mill Creek Resort and Country Club in Franklin, and the Flagler County Maryland Club. Roy enjoyed traveling around the world with his wife Virginia. He always had a story to tell about his real-life adventures; one of his most recent stories was when Somali pirates attempted to hijack his ship on an around-the-world-cruise.

Roy was an avid golfer and looked forward to attending the PGA Merchandise Show held in Orlando every year. He was a regular in many charitable golf events, including the annual Pat Clarke Celebrity Golf Tournament.

Roy is survived by his wife Virginia; his sons, Wesley (Vickie) and Richard; grandchildren, Katrina, Jeffrey and Brian; and great-granddaughter Isabelle. Roy's warm and loving spirit will remain in our hearts forever. "Roy Boy," you will be missed, "we'll see ya when we see ya."

A memorial to celebrate Roy's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, at the Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home, 301 N.E. Ivanhoe Blvd, Orlando, FL. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to the "Wounded Warrior Project," 7020 AC Skinner Pkwy, Suite 100, Jacksonville, FL, 32256, (online at www.woundedwarriorproject.org).