Anne Roethke
Paradise Coast Chapter
Anne E. Roethke, MD, age 92, passed away October 20, 2017, in Ft. Myers, FL.
After practicing anesthesiology at St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, Anne and Dr. Roethke relocated to Ft. Myers where she was on the staff of Lee Memorial Hospital from 1974 to 1996.
Anne had been a member of The Ninety-Nines, Inc. International Organization of Women Pilots since 1958. Anne told us she learned to fly in 1945 in a Piper Cub, a single-engine fabric-covered airplane. Tail wheel airplanes are tricky to fly, especially for a beginner, but Roethke shrugged and said “I didn’t have a choice. I started flying in 1945 and there was no tricycle gear aircraft back then.”
Anne flew twice in the AWTAR (Powder Puff Derby) in the 1960s, and the Michigan SMALL race in 1960.
After moving to Florida, Anne flew many years as a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 9-10 in Ft. Myers/Cape Coral. She flew VIP transport missions as well as coastal patrols, search and rescue, and logistical and familiarization flights for new Coast Guard members. She flew her own Piper Warrior N1946H, which she also used for the Auxiliary’s egress training. Anne cautioned auxiliary members being evaluated to be very careful of her airplane, even while trying to get out in the shortest possible time.
She was a member of the United Flying Octogenarians and accumulated more than 6000 hours before she stopped flying. Aviation was her passion and she would join her 99s sisters aloft in their airplanes whenever she could. When Anne was no longer able to enjoy flying due to physical limits, she would remind her fellow pilots “there is life after aviation”.
Anne was a founding member of the Paradise Coast 99s and served as Secretary from 2007-09, and Treasurer from 2011-13. We always appreciated her words of counsel and wisdom, and she will be greatly missed.
Godspeed, Anne!
