Omaha World-Herald, July 21, 1943
Lt. Roach, Basket Ball Star, Dies in Army Plane Crash
Second Lt. Robert E. Roach, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Roach, 522 North Twenty-Sixth Street, was killed Tuesday in the crash of his plane near Luke Field, Ariz. where he was stationed as an instructor.
The crash occurred at an auxiliary field 12 miles from Luke field when the control ship Lt. Roach was flying during training operations crashed. The gas tanks exploded when the plane struck, but the fuselage bounced free and the body was not burned. Lt. Roach was killed instantly.
Lt. Roach received his wings and commission in February. A pursuit pilot, he wanted to get into combat duty and had taken a special gunnery course, qualifying as an expert aerial gunner, to facilitate his transfer into combat duty.
Lt. Roach trained at Thunderbird, Marana, and Luke fields. He was retained as an instructor at Luke field after his graduation until May, when he was transferred to Fort Sumner, N.M., as assistant production line maintenance officer at the training school there. He returned to Luke field June 10.
He was graduated from Creighton Prep. where he was all-state and all-intercity league high school basket ball guard at Creighton and Omaha universities, was a member of the Omaha university team before going into service.
Survivors are his parents: sisters, Mrs. Edward Morrow and Mrs. Charles M. Garvey, Jr., Omaha; Mrs. William Diesing, Des Moines, and Sister Mary Rose Catherine, B. V. M., Kansas City; brothers, the Rev. Virgil Roach, S. J., St. Mary's, Kans.; Lt. William S. Roach, a Flying Fortress pilot, Hendricks field, Sebring, Fla.; Seaman 1c Thomas J. Roach, on fleet duty in the Pacific, and Raymond Roach, Long Beach, Cal.
The body will be brought to Heafey & Heafey mortuary here
Omaha World-Herald, July 21, 1943
Lt. Roach, Basket Ball Star, Dies in Army Plane Crash
Second Lt. Robert E. Roach, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Roach, 522 North Twenty-Sixth Street, was killed Tuesday in the crash of his plane near Luke Field, Ariz. where he was stationed as an instructor.
The crash occurred at an auxiliary field 12 miles from Luke field when the control ship Lt. Roach was flying during training operations crashed. The gas tanks exploded when the plane struck, but the fuselage bounced free and the body was not burned. Lt. Roach was killed instantly.
Lt. Roach received his wings and commission in February. A pursuit pilot, he wanted to get into combat duty and had taken a special gunnery course, qualifying as an expert aerial gunner, to facilitate his transfer into combat duty.
Lt. Roach trained at Thunderbird, Marana, and Luke fields. He was retained as an instructor at Luke field after his graduation until May, when he was transferred to Fort Sumner, N.M., as assistant production line maintenance officer at the training school there. He returned to Luke field June 10.
He was graduated from Creighton Prep. where he was all-state and all-intercity league high school basket ball guard at Creighton and Omaha universities, was a member of the Omaha university team before going into service.
Survivors are his parents: sisters, Mrs. Edward Morrow and Mrs. Charles M. Garvey, Jr., Omaha; Mrs. William Diesing, Des Moines, and Sister Mary Rose Catherine, B. V. M., Kansas City; brothers, the Rev. Virgil Roach, S. J., St. Mary's, Kans.; Lt. William S. Roach, a Flying Fortress pilot, Hendricks field, Sebring, Fla.; Seaman 1c Thomas J. Roach, on fleet duty in the Pacific, and Raymond Roach, Long Beach, Cal.
The body will be brought to Heafey & Heafey mortuary here
Family Members
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Marie Roach
1899–1936
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John Laverne Roach
1900–1924
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Clarence Riley Roach
1902–1935
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Ann Roach Morrow
1904–1985
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Myrtis Veronica Roach Garvey
1906–1988
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Sr Mary Rose Catherine "Benita" Roach
1908–1962
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Rev James Virgil Roach
1911–1998
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Raymond Stanley Roach
1914–1992
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Catherine Roach Diesing
1918–1967
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Thomas James Roach
1924–1986
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