Obituary of Melfred W. Roosevelt

Melfred ?Jake? W. Roosevelt, 93, retired auto dealer, former resident of State Highway 30A, Fonda, died Monday afternoon at the Palatine Nursing Home in Palatine Bridge. Born December 7, 1911 in Fish House, NY, near Edinburgh he was the son of the late Walter and Viola Wood Roosevelt. Jake lived most of his life in Fonda and attended local one-room schoolhouses. He first started a one-door repair shop on Main Street in Fonda where he repaired Model-T Fords and later moved that business to Fultonville. In 1936, he opened a Dodge and Plymouth dealership in Fonda and in 1946 moved the business to Palatine Bridge, NY with the help of the late George Kline of Johnstown, where it was named The Corner Garage. In 1961, with his son, Warren, they incorporated the business into M.W. Roosevelt & Son, Inc., where they started selling Chevrolet cars. Jake semi-retired in 1986. Jake was a member of the Fonda Reformed Church, the Family Motor Coach Association of U.S.A., the Concordia Club in Gloversville and was a one-time member of the Johnstown Moose Lodge. Jake loved to work on cars and he enjoyed traveling in his motor home until the age of 93. He and his wife traveled through 48 states. He enjoyed life and loved his family dearly. On September 14, 1934, he married the former Alberta Mae Engel, who died October 30, 1996. . Survivors include his son, Warren P. Roosevelt, Sr. and his wife Josie of Canada Lake, NY; a former daughter-in-law, Nancy Roosevelt; three grandchildren, Kimberly Post and her husband Jim, Warren P. Roosevelt, Jr. and his wife Justine, and Gregory M. Roosevelt and his wife Laurie; two step-grandchildren, Pamela Bramell and her husband Tony and Mark Huxley and his wife Kristen; two brothers, Harry Roosevelt and Everett Roosevelt, both of Phoenix, AZ; a sister-in-law, Diana Pasho; a close friend, Angie Damico; six great-grandchildren and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his sister Myrtle Beyer, who died in 2004. Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 10:00AM at the Jackson & Betz Funeral Home, 15 Main Street, Fultonville with the Reverend Christopher DeGraaf officiating. Burial will take place at Evergreen Cemetery, Sand Flats in Fonda. The family will receive relatives and friends Wednesday from 4 to 8 PM at the funeral home. A legacy candle ceremony will be conducted that evening at 7:45PM at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made in Jake?s memory to: the Fonda Reformed Church, 19-21 Broadway, Fonda, NY 12068; the American Cancer Society, 260 Osborne Road, Loudonville, N.Y. 12211 or to the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum, 3315 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408.