May 2005
Dear Members of the 419th, This is a reminder that
our reunion will be Thursday June 9th with check-out on Sunday June
12th. This meeting will be held at the Washington Dulles Airport Marriott,
Washington, DC. The address of the hotel is 45020 Aviation Drive,
Dulles, Virginia 20166. Telephone 703-471-9500. The 419th members
will be charged $79.00 per night.
Plans are being made by our hosts Gerald St. Amand
and daughter and son-in-law Doria and Vincent Grimes. We are lucky
to have these knowledgeable hosts who have planned a tour of the World
War II Memorial.
A letter from Ethel Mohn in early March stated
that Charlie Mohn passed away on January 31, 2005. Our sympathy
goes to Ethel and all the Mohn family. Ethel stated
that she hopes to get to the reunion with her children. Ethel
also sent a beautiful Easter card to the 419th.
Also in March a note came from J. C. and Eleanor
Orange. They both had birthdays in February and "are 84 and 85
years young". J. C. still plays golf and plays cards with friends.
They state "if any of you are traveling our way we would be glad for
you to visit". Those of us who went to the reunion in 1999 hosted
by J. C. and Eleanor know how beautiful Colorado Springs is.
They included a donation to M. B.
Scott Jackson's Muzzleblast was returned;
the address was 141 Pleasant Hill Drive, Harrodsburg KY 40330.
If anyone has a new address, please advise.
I am grateful for the calls we receive; sometimes I
am not at home. Thank you Bonnie Porter and Ken Manning for
keeping in touch.
Also the e-mails are wonderful and I usually print them
but have been remiss at this lately. I do hear from Joanna Gebhardt,
Rose Lemberg, Wanda Cluck, Virginia and Bill Rapp, and many others.
I will try to remember to print them now. As most of you noted, Jack's
name is not on the return address. After having pneumonia in January,
he had several mini-strokes in March and on March 22, 2005 he died
peacefully at Floyd Medical Center. He was buried in the Memorial
Section of downtown Rome's Myrtle Hill Cemetery. This is the site
of the burial place of Charles Graves, the known soldier of World
War I who was buried in Arlington but his parents asked that he
be moved to his home place, and also of Ellen Axon Wilson, first
wife of President Woodrow Wilson. Members of Jack's American Legion
were pallbearers and honor guard.
We are looking forward to seeing you in Washington;
my oldest son Jack Jr. and wife Nancy will be with me as well
as my daughter Helen Sheppard, husband Brent and my two youngest
granddaughters Martha 12 and Anna 7. We are grateful to our
hosts for planning our reunion.
A quote from O. Henry: For memory has painted
this perfect day with colors that never fade, and we find at the end
of a perfect day the soul of a friend we've made.