Earl F. Derby, IHS 1923, age 99, passed away December 1, 2004, at the Little Falls Hospital. Earl was born in the Village of Tupper Lake, NY, on August 15, 1905, and lived in Bloomingdale, NY, before moving to Ilion at a young age. He attended Ilion schools, graduated from the Albany College of Pharmacy in 1925 and was a registered pharmacist. Earl was preceded in death by Ruth Freeman Derby, his beloved wife of 54 years. During the depression, he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps on the Construction Crew that built the Fish Creek Public Campsite, adjacent to Saranac Lake, in the Adirondack Mountains. Earl was called to Army service in the draft preceding World War II and was scheduled for discharge the week following Pearl Harbor. His discharge was postponed for four years with Earl serving as Sergeant in the First Armored Division in the Invasion of Africa where he participated in the Battle of Kaserine Pass and then in France. After the war, Earl was employed as a salesman for the Squibb Pharmaceutical Company in New York City before returning to Ilion where he worked for many years as a Pharmacist at the Daly Drug Store and the Little Falls Hospital. After retiring, Earl worked at the Lennox Bros. Pharmacy in Ilion. Earl was a former member of the Ilion Elks Lodge 1444 and the Ilion Knights of Columbus, a life member of the Ilion Post 920 American Legion and the First Armored Division Society. In addition to Ruth, a longtime Social Studies teacher at the Ilion High School. Earl was predeceased by his sisters, Teresa (Mrs. John Ireland) of Burlington, VT, Frances (Mrs. James Mullins) of Amherst, NH, Mary Derby and Margaret, both of Ilion; and his brother, Joseph Derby. Earl is survived by a sister-in-law, Mrs. Beth Munger Derby of Byron, NY; and numerous nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, December 4, 2004, at 11 a.m. in the Church of the Annunciation in Ilion with Fr. Anthony Barratt officiating. Interment will be in the North Columbia Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the church. Arrangements are with the Whiter-Hendrix Funeral Home, 100 Otsego Street, Ilion. (December 3, 2004)