A JOSFC Charter member Passes Away

LOFTIN William A. (Pete) Loftin, Jr. passed away on September 4, 2011. Pete was born on August 15, 1923 in Goldsboro, North Carolina to William Avery Loftin, Sr. and Marylena Casteen Loftin. After growing up on a farm in eastern North Carolina, he worked for 13 years with the Evinrude Motors division of Outboard Marine Corp., first as an assembly line supervisor and then as the Southeast sales representative. In 1957 he opened his own boat and motor dealership, Outboard, Inc., which he and his wife owned and operated for 41 years. Boating and fishing were always a prominent part of his life, and he believed in giving back to the industry that he loved. He served as President of the Jacksonville Marine Association, the Marine Industries Association of Florida (of which he was a founding member) and the Marine Retailers Association of America, in each case for multiple terms. He was a founding member of the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament and served on its Board of Directors for most of its 30 plus years. He also helped organize the Jacksonville Commodores League and the Northeast Florida Marlin Association, and served on the boards of those organizations as well as of the Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club.

He played a major part in the writing of many of Floridas current boating laws, including the states Motorboat Trust Improvement Fund, and was appointed to the Jacksonville Waterways Commission and the Florida Boating Advisory Council. His efforts on behalf of boating and fishing earned him multiple honors at the local, state and national levels, including the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournaments Walt Murr Award for outstanding volunteer work, the Greater Daytona Striking Fish Tournaments Walter Johnson Memorial Award and Sportsman of the Year from the Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club. In 1992, he was the ninth person elected to the Marine Retailers Association of America Hall of Fame, and in 1997 he received its prestigious Irv Rosenthal Award for outstanding service to the boating industry. He received the Andy Anderson Award from the City of Jacksonville for outstanding service to recreational boating and was honored in 1992 as the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerces Small Business Leader of the Year. Petes Christian faith was central to his life. He served on the Board of Elders of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and was active in the Gideons ministry both in Florida and at his summer home in Bangor, Maine. He was also a dedicated member of the Troop Greeters who come to the Bangor International Airport at all hours of the day or night to welcome military men and women traveling to and from Iraq and Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Dorothy; his daughter Laura and her fiancé Norman Spieler; his son Jim and his daughter-in-law Cyndy; and his grandsons Steven and Daniel Loftin. A memorial service in celebration of his life will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1423 8th Avenue, Jacksonville Beach, on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Petes honor may be made to Gideons International, to Bethlehem Lutheran Church or to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Arrangements under the care of Hardage-Giddens Funeral Homes, Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com