CHERRY HILL, NJ – Roy was born in Lakewood, Ohio, December 9, 1919 to George R. and Myrta Zimmerman Gingery. He was a depression farm boy raised on a Wayne Co. Ohio farm near Wooster. He learned early about community, hardship, long hours and hard work. While on the farm he belonged to the 4H club exhibiting animals at the county fair, the FFA where he advanced to the 7th degree and was an active member of the Grange.
He graduated from Ohio State University in the class of 1941 and was employed by National Dairy Products Corporation, later to become Kraft Foods from where he retired 46 years later as Purchasing Manager in the headquarters office for the Dairy Group of the Corporation located in Philadelphia.
Roy enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and served on board LSTs (#501 & #726)
for invasions in the Pacific as the communication officer at the rank of
Ltjg.
After his military service, while working in Findlay, OH, he met Yvonne Arnold who became his wife and helpmate for over a half a century. Yvonne passed away in 2005 from a stroke and has been sorely missed by Roy since then. They are survived by 2 sons, Bruce (and Doris Gingery of Cheyenne, Wy) and Jim (and Evelyn) of Ennis, MT and Union City, CA, one granddaughter Misty (and Boyd Plotts) of Tucson, AZ, and five grandsons: Rand Sean (and Michele) of Bristol, CT, Jonathan (and Melanie) of Paterson, NJ, Jordan of Hoboken, NJ and Justin of Ramsey, NJ and Ryan Henderson of Union City, CA. And two great grandchildren (by Rand and Michele) Katelyn and Tyler, and Sisters-in-law Carol Arnold of Findlay, OH and Eleanor Cole of Yorktown, VA.
Son Bruce is a self employed computer expert, living with his wife in Cheyenne Wyoming. Bruce enlisted in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Before going overseas he was stationed at the Air Force base in Cheyenne. He liked the location so much he could not wait to settle there when discharged from the Air Force. Bruce and Doris are parents of Misty and Rand Sean. Misty is a Pet Groomer and business woman and Rand Sean does actuarial work.
Son Jim is a icensed Real Estate Broker and Mortgage Broker in
California and Montana, a third generation REALTOR. He is the father of Jonathan, Jordan and Justin and step-son Ryan. Jonathan is the manager of a large Borders book store in Northern New Jersey. Son Jordan is managing a restaurant in North New Jersey and is a second Lieutenant in the Delaware National Guard. Justin is in college in North Carolina.
After being discharged from the Navy, Roy attended Case Western Reserve night school working on his Masters in Business. He became a licensed REALTOR and had kept a license active.
In 1964 Roy came to the East Coast when he was transferred from Cleveland to New York City as director of quality control for the company New York City Milk and Ice Cream Plants as well as raw milk procurement from PA, CT and NY that came into the plants for processing. Roy and family located in Ramsey, NJ where and his wife Yvonne were both active in church and community activities. Roy was promoted to purchasing manager in the Company New York dairy headquarters office. In 1971, when the company reduced staff and moved the office to The Breyer Ice Cream Plant building in Philadelphia, Roy resigned his volunteer job at the Ramsey Board of health where he was president.
Over 35 years ago when transferring with work to Philadelphia, Roy and Yvonne chose Cherry Hill, NJ as their home for various reasons. Both promptly became active in volunteer work at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church and in other community activities. At St. Michaels, both served terms as president of the congregation and Yvonne was treasurer when the records were first transferred over to computer accounting. Yvonne worked at Bell and Howell district office on Perina Blvd. until she retired. When both retired, they decided that Cherry Hill was the place to stay, with friends instead of going to a retirement area.
When organization meetings were held more than 35 years ago, all over Cherry Hill to start the Neighborhood Crime watch, it was found there was no volunteer to head the blocked out area of zone 8 in the Tridevelopment area consisting of Old Orchard, Cherry Downs and Candlewyck. Although Roy did not think he had the time, at the nudging of his wife, he agreed to help set up the area as long as someone would take over once it was going. Although it required many volunteer hours for both Roy and Yvonne over the years the activity proved very rewarding in helping them meet many fine people. With no children in school this would have been more difficult to meet neighbors without participating in the Watch. Roy was honored with declaration by the Mayor of Cherry Hill Township of 9/10/2007 thru 9/11/2007 as Roy Gingery Day in Cherry Hill (ref http://www.gtcs.com/Roy and pg 9b of September 27th, Courier Post). An Apiarist, Roy often rescued neighbors from stray hives of bees, shared honey with neighbors and friends (with significant decrease in allergies for some, due to local honey’s anti-allegenic properties) and was able to also assist with identification of other insects often mistaken for bees. An amateur arborist, there are trees all over the east coast which if traced would find his hand in their existence, expecially the North American Sweet Chestnut (ref http://chestnut.gtcs.com/) which is slowly returning to the United States, after a century of near extinction.
Services will be held at Murray-Pardee Funeral Home, 601 W. Route 70, Cherry Hill, between 2 pm-4pm and 7pm – 9pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 following by a celebration of faith at St. Michaels Lutheran Church on Thursday morning October 18, 2007 at 11am. Ohio services will be held at McIntire, Davis & Greene Funeral Home, 216 E. Larwill St., Wooster at 1pm, Saturday, October 20, 2007, with visitation one hour prior. Interment will follow at Wooster Cemetery, Wooster, Ohio.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in New Jersey be made to St. Michael’s Lutheran Church and in Ohio to the Bereavement Committee at Zion Lutheran Church, 301 N. Market St., Wooster, OH 44691.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by a brother, Walter E. Gingery and a sister Ethel Schneider.

Memorial Contributions
Bereavement Committee at Zion Lutheran Church, 301 N. Market St., Wooster, OH 44691

Service
Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 1:00 P.M.

Visitation
1 hour prior to the time of the service