Francis H. Herbert, 89, passed away Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, at the Charlotte Harbor Healthcare Facility in Port Charlotte, Fla., after a short illness.

He was born in Pepperell, Mass., Jan. 9, 1923.

Francis served honorably in the U.S. Navy as a young man through the four years of World War II, and found his soul mate, Edith, in Quincy, Mass., marrying her Dec. 29, 1946. While in the Navy, he was stationed on the USS Atlanta, which was sunk at Guadalcanal in the Pacific in 1942, after participating in the battles of Midway Island and Leyte Gulf; and the USS Texas, a battleship that participated in Normandy, and in the final struggles of the war near Japan. After returning from the war, Francis began working in 1946 for Grossman’s Lumber Co. in Quincy and Braintree, Mass., dedicating himself to a long and ambitious career with them until retiring in 1988 as a high-ranking company executive after 42 years. From 1956 until 1989, he resided in Brockton, Mass., where he played a number of important roles as a member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church, including Superintendent of the Sunday School and a church councilman. He and Edith then moved in 1989 to the LaCasa adult community in North Port, Fla., where they enjoyed the rest of their 65 years of marriage together. Throughout their retirement, until recent years, they traveled extensively throughout much of the U.S., and loved to go on cruises.

Francis is survived by his sister, Dorothy Gullicksen of Hanover, Mass.; children, James (Marcia “Sylvia”) Herbert of Fredericksburg, Va., and Judith (Robert) Kelly of Cleveland Heights, Ohio; grandchildren, Sean and Ryan Kelly of California, and Jill (nee Herbert) McKenzie of Great Britain; as well as a great-granddaughter, Isla Marie McKenzie, also of Great Britain. He was preceded in death by the love of his life, his wife of 65 years, Edith L. (nee Jacobs) Herbert, who passed away in July of this year.

The family is planning a private memorial service at Sarasota National Cemetery in Sarasota, Fla. Donations in his memory may be made to St. Joseph Indian School, 1301 N. Main St., Chamberlain, SD 57325, an organization that he and Edith had actively supported for many years.

Arrangements are by National Cremation Society.