NAUGATUCK — Charles John Roland, 92, the husband of Loretta (Robert) Roland, died peacefully on Oct. 29, 2017 at Waterbury Hospital surrounded by his loving family.
Charlie was born on Aug. 3, 1925 in Naugatuck, a son of the late Joseph and Katherine (Sohl) Roland, and had lived in Naugatuck all of his life. He attended local schools and on Sept. 10, 1942, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy. After basic training, one of his assignments was to the U.S. Naval amphibious training base in Appledore, England and Advanced Amphibious training in Portland/Weymouth, England. This specialized training was in preparation for the D Day Invasion in Normandy, where Charlie proudly participated driving his Landing Craft onto the beaches of Normandy, ferrying American infantry troops into battle. Shortly after the invasion, he was injured at sea and was sent to Chelsea Naval Hospital in Massachusetts to recover. He was honorably discharged on May 15, 1945 having attained the rank of Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class, and he was a life member of the V.F.W. After his naval service, Charlie began his career at the synthetic division of Uniroyal, Inc.; there he served as president of Local 308, URW for almost 20 years until he retired. In spite of his war injuries to his fingers, Charlie became an accomplished baseball and softball pitcher, playing in Connecticut and throughout New England. In one area game where Charlie was pitching, he struck out Jimmy Piersall, who went on to play in the major leagues for the Cleveland Indians. Charlie was fortunate to have been able to play softball locally until age 60.
In addition to Loretta, his wife of over 70 years, Charlie is survived by his sons, Richard Roland and his wife, Erin, and Robert Roland and his wife, Terese; his daughter, Lori Roland Plonski and her husband, Joseph; his brother, John Roland; his grandchildren, Jeffrey, Mary Ellen and husband, Rudy, Carrie and husband, Eric, Kimberly and fiancé, Joe, Adam, Charles and Cristine; eight great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Mr. Roland was predeceased by his brothers, William, Joseph and Richard Roland.
Funeral services and military honors will be held Friday, Nov. 3, 2017 at 11:30 a.m. at the CT State Veterans Cemetery, 317 Bow Lane, Middletown. Calling hours are Friday from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Buckmiller Thurston Mengacci Funeral Home, 82 Fairview Ave., Naugatuck. Members of the Naugatuck Veterans Council will assemble at the funeral home Friday at 9:45 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to honor Charlie’s memory can be made to the Naugatuck Veterans Council, P.O. Box 226, Naugatuck, CT 06770.
To leave an online condolence, visit www.buckmillerthurstonmengacci.com.
