Clifford Curtis Booth, Jr., 94, of Vero Beach, passed away on Oct. 16, 2015.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth R.; son Norman Booth (Gail Zink) of Columbus, Ohio; daughter Nannette Gagliostro (Michael) of Roanoke, Va.; step-sons Scott Bandekow (Linda) of Short Hills, N.J. and Leigh (Sharon) Bandekow of Newark, Del.; sister Alice Fillipini; four grandchildren, Shannon, Kevin, Scott, and Rebecca; six step-grandchildren, Jenifer, Richard, David, Timothy, Katie, and Danny; three great-grandchildren Alexandria, Hayden, and Gracelynn; and two step-great-grandchildren, Charlotte and Juliette.
He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Marion Louise, sisters Kathleen Perkins and Francis Weldon, and brothers Robert and George.
Booth was born May 26, 1921 in Binghamton, N.Y., one of six children born to Clifford Curtis Booth, Sr. and Alice (Palmer) Booth.
As a youth, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated from Binghamton North High School. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in wood products engineering from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University in 1943 and 1946. He also attained the rank of Lieutenant in the United States Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II.
He married Marion Louise Van Alstyne on Aug. 22, 1946 at Hendricks Chapel on the campus of Syracuse University. Subsequent to her passing in 1981, he married Elizabeth (“Bette”) (Rood) Bandekow in Oct. 1988 at the Wyoming Presbyterian Church, Millburn, N.J. He was a devoted husband, earnest role model for his children and grandchildren, and patriarch for the extended Booth family. He loved being with family and friends, sharing stories, and creating family memories.
Booth spent most of his professional career working for Borden Chemical, first in the research lab in Bainbridge, N.Y. and later as a sales manager for wood adhesives in the New York, N.Y. and Columbus, Ohio offices.
He had many interests including stamp collecting, genealogy, wood working, golf, photography, birding, and hunting. He was a life-long member of the Beaver Meadow hunting club in Hancock, N.Y.
Booth especially enjoyed fly-fishing, tying many of his own flies and testing them on numerous trout streams throughout the northeast and west. He also loved traveling and had a keen sense of geography having visited almost all states including Alaska and Hawaii.
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 7, 2015 at the Wyoming Presbyterian Church, Millburn, N.J. Donations in his memory can be made to the Clifford C. Booth, Sr. scholarship at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Trout Unlimited, the Adirondack Council, or any other charity supporting nature conservation.
