My father, Royce J. Britton, passed away on November 18, 2006, at the age of 80.  After an eventful and fruitful life, Dad is at peace and will be remembered as a man of faith, family, community, and country.

During his declining years, Dad began work on the memoirs below in which he wrote about his formative years during the Great Depression and especially his participation in World War II, being a veteran of combat at Okinawa.  If his family has any regrets, one is that Dad was unable to finish his memories, taking his story up only to his move to Pennsylvania in 1960 and his family life there. At some point, perhaps Mom will pick up the tale.

In the meantime, what follows should be of interest to those who knew Royce Britton.  But this history should also intrigue anyone curious about the history of the U.S. during the 1930s and 1940s, notably Dad's details of life on the plains of West Texas.  Reading his memories for the first time, I was startled at the rich descriptions of the communities he grew up in, his sharing of personal insights into education of the time, the dreams of Americans during the Great Depression, and how a strong family helped shape him.  I must admit, many of the particulars may not be completely accurate.  My uncle, Charles Britton, doesn't remember the unique refrigerator Dad describes, although Charles admits the engineering principles are sound.  He doesn't believe the Britton boys ever stole soda from the back of a truck.  Then again, the Britton boys each have very different memories of the same time and place.  I look forward to reading, someday, the memoirs of my uncles, who have different perspectives of this period of time.

This is not my story, so I will stop here.  I hope I've provided context for these chapters and invite any readers to correct or add to what they knew of these places and times.

With deep affection and respect for a nearly perfect role model,

Wes Britton
November 30, 2006

Obituary:

ROYCE JEROME BRITTON – Passed away on November 18, 2006, after a lingering illness. Royce was born March 14, 1926 in Whitley City, Kentucky, but spent most of his early years in various towns in West Texas. His life was shaped by the Great Depression and his involvement in World War II. On April 1, 1945, he boarded a landing craft to hit Orange Beach in the first wave of Japanese held Okinawa Shima, the greatest land, sea, and air battle of all time. Royce remained active in the US Army Reserves until his retirement. On May 28, 1952, Royce married Betty Ruth Somers of Hope, Arkansas. Two sons, Wesley Alan and David Lee Britton, were born from this union. After residing in Germany and Colorado, the family moved to Mechanicsburg, PA, in 1960 where they resided until 1976. There, the Britton family was active in church activities and helping the Home Missions programs of the Southern Baptist Convention. Britton was also instrumental in the first phases of implementing CPR training in both public and health organizations. In 1976, the Brittons moved to Dallas, Texas, where he was an active member of the First Baptist Church in Richardson. Royce is survived by his wife, Betty, son Wesley Alan and wife Betty Jane, and daughter Lori Britton. He is also survived by two brothers, Charles and wife Maxine of Colorado and Morris and wife Mary of Sherman, as well as many nieces and nephews. Royce is predeceased by parents Olney Loren and Peal Cooper Britton as well as his son, David Lee and a brother George.

Contributions may be made in Royce’s memory to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, 11435 Cronhill Dr, Owings Mills, MD 21117.

The Memoirs of Royce Jerome Britton are available in two formats. To download either format to your computer, right-click on the link and select "Save Target As".

PDF files require the Acrobat Reader program, which is available for free on-line. Click here to download.