Colvin Patterson Rouse Jr., 83, died Thursday, June 3, 2021.
Known as Col, he was born on Dec. 19, 1937 in Lexington, to Colvin
Patterson Rouse Sr. and Helen Dedman Rouse.
From an early age, Col loved working with his hands. His first
construction project was an addition to his parents’ garage when he was
14. By age 16, he was rebuilding car engines, which led to summer
employment as a mechanic while still a teenager.
Col attended the University of Kentucky and served four years in the
U.S. Air Force as a jet engine mechanic, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air
Force base in Tucson, Arizona. Following his service in the Air Force,
Col returned to Versailles, where he started Rouse-Lancaster Builders
with his partner, Jack Lancaster. He moved to Tampa, Florida in 1968,
where he began a second construction company, Commercial Interior
Contracting.
In the early 1970s, Col became intrigued with hot air balloons and
became the second licensed commercial hot air balloon pilot in the state
of Florida. He was also designated by the FAA as a hot air balloon pilot
examiner. He and his partner, Nelson Romero, started a successful
balloon loft, Sport Balloons, in Tampa. The company’s highest profile
client was Disney World. Col and the company’s other pilots flew the
iconic Mickey Mouse balloon in locations around the world, including
Paris for the opening of Euro Disney; Australia for Disney Down Under;
and Red Square in Moscow, as well as in almost every state and Puerto
Rico. He and his partner filmed a one-hour special for ABC American
Sportsman, flying over the plains of Nazca, Peru. An inveterate
competitor, Col won the first Bahamas to Ft. Lauderdale balloon race, a
flight that took him through the Bermuda Triangle. Col and his wife
Maryanne (also a commercial hot air balloon pilot) competed against each
other in several races, including the Kentucky Derby Festival Balloon
Race and the St. Petersburg Pier Balloon Race. He also won the Pro
Balloon Tour Championship and took part in the World Championship held
in Uppsala, Sweden. He served two terms on the Board of Directors of the
Balloon Federation of America.
Col is survived by his wife, Maryanne; his children, Colvin Patterson
Rouse III of Tampa, Florida; Alton Rouse of Auburn, Alabama; Melissa
Morisco Goldberg (Michael) of New York, New York; and Richard Biggs
(Lena Hearn) of Tampa, Florida; four grandsons, Zachary Wegman, Benjamin
Erga, Joshua Erga and Gabriel Rouse; a great-granddaughter, Rhea Rouse;
his sister, Frances Rouse Gaver of Monterey, California; his brother,
James Dedman Rouse (Sharon) of Versailles; and his sister, Sara Rouse
Wotman of Cleveland, Ohio. He was predeceased by his daughter, Terese
Rouse.
A graveside service for family was held Monday, June 7, in Clearwater,
Florida.
Those wishing to honor Col’s life may make contributions to the St.
Petersburg Free Clinic (www.stpetersburgfreeclinic.org) or the Pinellas
County SPCA (www.spcatampabay.org).