Lt. Col. Harry J. Boothe, 86, Bradenton and Anna Maria Island, died June 8, 2006. He was born Aug. 17, 1919, in Charlotte, N.C., and moved to Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base when he joined the service. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after 30 years of service. He was stationed with and remained friends with the crew that flew the Enola Gay. He moved to Fort Myers in the early 1940s, where he owned and operated a Pepsi Cola plant and in the mid-1940s moved to Tallevast and established the Matoka Ranch, where he raised cattle and farmed for many years. He also owned Boothe Construction Seminars. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Sarasota. He served in the Air Force and flew in World War II, the Korean War, the Berlin Airlift, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. He was a 32nd-degree Mason, a Shriner, a member of the Moose Lodge, VFW and the American Legion. Survivors include his wife of 29 years, Dee; a nephew, Harry; and two great-nephews. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Griffith-Cline Funeral Home, Manatee Avenue Chapel. A service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Griffith-Cline Funeral Home, Manatee Avenue Chapel. Burial will be in Manasota Memorial Park, Bradenton, with full military honors by MacDill Air Force Base Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a favorite charity
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