Jason Pierre Rouby

JASON PIERRE ROUBY, age 87, died Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Little Rock, Ark. He was born June 9, 1923, to Maurice and Pearl Rouby in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He is survived by his wife, Marguerite Schmuck Rouby; two daughters, Carole Dillon and Christina Velasquez (Jim); one son, David Rouby (Marti) all of Little Rock; four grandchildren, Lisa Pelton (Greg) of Bryant, Angela Wilson (Tim) of Hot Springs, Aaron Rouby (Stacie Davis) of Tallahassee, Fla., and Rachel Rouby of Little Rock; two step-grandchildren, Reid Smith (Candy Burnett) of Bossier City, La., and Logan Smith of Little Rock; and five great-grandchildren, Hannah and Caroline Pelton, Samuel and Wyatt Wilson, and Parker Smith. He is also survived by his brother, Jerrold Rouby (Portia) of Fort Myers, Fla.; nephew, Kevin Rouby of Madison, Wis., and niece, Kyle Leve of Rio, Wis. He grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and graduated from high school in 1941. He attended college at Case Western in Cleveland for two years before enlisting in the army in 1943. After his discharge from the army in 1946, he returned to Case Western and earned a degree in English. He worked at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jonesboro Sun, and the Arkansas Gazette. In 1956, he spent one year in Washington, D.C., on a political science fellowship working for Brooks Hayes and Senator William Fulbright. He returned to Little Rock where he worked for eight years at the Urban Progress Association. The family moved to Omaha, Neb., where he worked for the Chamber of Commerce for four years. After returning to Little Rock, he was the Executive Director of Metroplan for 21 years until his retirement in 1988. He spent his remaining years with his family and friends and attended classes at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for over 30 years. During World War II, he served in the United States Army in a mechanized reconnaissance platoon as a machine gunner on the back of a jeep. His color blindness was a valuable asset as a means of determining enemy camouflage. He qualified as a sharpshooter, and served as a French interpreter in several war trials. He was a member of the 80th Reconnaissance Troop, a division of General Patton's Army. He saw action in Northern France, the Rhineland, Ardennes, and was awarded three Bronze Stars at the conclusion of the Battle of the Bulge. He was known for his public support of community services such as Rotary Club, CARTI, AETN, KLRE, the Central Arkansas Library Association as well as several other charitable organizations. He was a renowned authority on Sherlock Holmes, a founding member of the Arkansas Valley Investors and a contributing member of the Baker Street Irregulars. Visitation will be Tuesday night from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 W. Markham, Little Rock. A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1000 N. Mississippi St., Little Rock. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to CARTI, KLRE, AETN, Med-Camp at Camp Aldersgate, or a charity of your choice. Cremation arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.