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| From the 1973 yearbook | From the 1986 yearbook | From the 2003 yearbook |
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| From the 2005 yearbook | From the 2019 Luncheon | |
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The officers and members of the Jacksonville Retired Firefighter Association are saddened to report that
Retired JFRD District Chief Rom Alderman passed away Saturday August 22, 2020.
ALDERMAN, ROMULOUS ELLIS, JR., age 93, passed peacefully in his home surrounded
by family on August 22, 2020. Rom was born February 3, 1927, in Thomasville, GA
to Mary McCollough Pagan and Romulous Ellis Alderman, Sr., both deceased.
Rom was an alumni of Robert E. Lee High School, Jacksonville Junior College,
FCCJ, and also attended the University of Florida in Gainesville. He served in
the U. S. Navy during World War II and followed in his father’s profession,
joining the Jacksonville Fire Department in 1951. He earned promotions through
the ranks and achieved his goal of District Chief in 1974 and was quite possibly
the longest serving District Chief in the department’s history. He retired in
that position in 2004, after serving the citizens of Jacksonville for
fifty-three years. Rom also retired from the Florida National Guard after twenty
years’ service and was awarded The Florida Distinguished Service Medal from the
Governor for exceptional meritorious service. Rom was president of The
Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Firemen for many years, which acted as a voice
to improve conditions for firefighters. Rom continued to spend his off- duty
time, talents and resources with The FOOF, promoting fellowship among
firefighters and their families by arranging a variety of social events. Rom
wanted all to know other shifts of firefighters and have opportunities to
fellowship together. He had more fun than most, especially on the dance floor!
Like most firefighters he loved going to work each shift, and like most of the
old-timers he also worked many other jobs, always with a strong work ethic,
integrity, and skill. Bettye, his wife of 57 years, called him her Hero! In
addition to The FOOF, Rom loved hunting at Camp Blanding and was also a former
private pilot with Jax Navy Fly Club. He was a member of Murray Hill
Presbyterian Church, where he formerly served as a Deacon.
Rom is pre-deceased by his wife, Bettye
Jo Simmons Alderman, whom he married in 1953. He is survived by their three
children; Mary Alderman Rausch, of Chattanooga, TN, and her two daughters,
Ellisa Rausch Krumm, MD, and her husband, Jason William Krumm, Fort Worth, TX
and Christen Rausch Hill, her husband Samuel Joseph Hill, Birmingham, AL and
their two sons, son Canaan and Marcus Hill; Romulous Ellis Alderman, III, wife
Mary Godwin Alderman, MD, and their son Thomas Ellis Alderman, and daughter
Sarah Elizabeth Alderman, Jacksonville; and Kenneth Irvin Alderman, wife Heather
Mathews Alderman, and their two sons, Matthew Paul Alderman and Daniel James
Alderman, Jacksonville. Other survivors include six nieces, seven nephews and
their children. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his
grandson, William Godwin Alderman, and four sisters, Mary S. Turner, Willie A.
Barrett, Edwina Alderman Pace and Anne A. Hobbs.
A celebration of his life will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, August 27, 2020
at The Church at Argyle, 6823 Argyle Forest Blvd, Jacksonville. Face masks &
social distancing required due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Interment with
Military Honors will follow at Jacksonville Memory Gardens Cemetery, 111
Blanding Blvd, Orange Park.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift is suggested to Murray Hill Presbyterian
Church, 940 Talbot Ave. Jacksonville, Fl. 32205.
Copy & paste the link below into your internet browser to view the live stream
video of the funeral service - available at 10:30 Thursday. Before then, it will
show a countdown and a black screen.
https://boxcast.tv/view/rom-alderman-memorial-493033