Curtis Royal – Major, United States Air Force

From a contemporary news report:

Retired United States Air Force Colonel Curtis Royal, 83,  of Gautier, Mississippi, died on Sunday, December 16, 2001. He was born August 5, 1918 in Hopewell, Virginia, and grew up in Lincoln Park, Michigan.  He had been a resident of Gautier since 1976.

He attended the University of Michigan and Oklahoma State University. He also played professional football for the Washington Redskins and was with the Washington D.C. fire department. He served as an Air Force pilot in World War II and in Korea and received a Purple Heart and numerous medals. A command pilot, he retired after 24 years.

Following retirement, he worked with the Charles E. Smith Management Co. in Washington, D.C. and retired as a chief engineer and building manager.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Suzanne Royal, of Laurel, Maryland, and a son, Curtis W. Royal, of Columbia, Maryland. Survivors include his wife, Pauline A. Raynes Royal, Gautier, Mississippi; two daughters, Marianne “Lisa” (Eugene S.) Dailey, Accokeek, Maryland and Ellenbeth Royal Luquire, Grand Bay, Alabama; one son, Robert A. (Carolyn Abele) Royal, Gautier, Mississippi; six grandchildren, Amy Alisa and Cara Lacey Luquire, Gautier, Mississippi; Sean M. Ellis, Westminster, Maryland; James P. Doyle; Jennifer L. and Michael P. Royal, both of Columbia, Maryland.

Visitation will be Friday, December 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. at O’Bryant-O’Keefe Funeral Home, Gautier, Misssisippi. A memorial service will follow at 7 p.m. from the funeral home chapel. Interment at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard