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​bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Dead > Ancillary Hub > Veterans A-F, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 4 Jul 2025
Pottawattamie Area Early Deaths of World War II Veterans, 37 "A-F" records
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† (vet.) Adams, David Jackson, SN 961-57-24, US Navy, Harrison Co.
  • b. 15 Sep 1925 Missouri Valley, Harrison Co.; s/o Oscar J. Adams & Sarah E. McIntosh; entered service 12 Dec 1943 from Missouri Valley; sep. 4 May 1946; married Jacqueline M. Brewer 1946, one child; bur. Rose Hill Cem., Missouri Valley.
  • foreign service Dec 1944 - Apr 1946, unit unknown; d. 29 Aug 1947 rural Missouri Valley; lack of oxygen while working in a deep well.

† (vet.) Andersen, Marinus, SN 37-659-598, US Army, Audubon Co.
  • b. 23 Feb 1908 Denmark; s/o Peter C. Andersen (d. 1943) & Anna Christine Jensen (d. 1929); family immigrated to US; entered service 10 Feb 1943 from Rt. 1, Brayton, Audubon Co.; sep. 6 Oct 1945; bur. Oak Hill Cem., Brayton.
  • overseas service 19 Feb 1945 to 17 Jun 1945 in Germany; Co. C, 343rd Inf. Regt., 86th Inf. Div.
  • after separation: farm laborer in Audubon Co.; d. 26 Apr 1947 LeRoy Twp., rural Audubon; suicide by shotgun.

† (vet.) Aylsworth, James Franklin, SN 37-472-721, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 23 Oct 1915 Co. Bluffs; s/o William A. Aylsworth & Barbara A. Grieder; married Wanda P. Henderson 1939, two children; entered service 9 Feb 1943 from Co. Bluffs, sep. 23 Dec 1944; bur. location unknown.
  • 698th Medical Collecting Co., Camp Rucker, AL; d. 18 Nov 1947 at home, Co. Bluffs; coronary occlusion.

† (vet.) Barritt, Glen Hough, SN 322-05-01, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • b. 8 Jan 1904 Crescent, Pott. Co.; s/o Burl C. Barritt (d. 1940) & Stella M. Hough; m. Vay I. Stauffer 1923, three children; entered service 25 Jan 1944 from Co. Bluffs, sep. Nov 1945; bur. Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • foreign service Oct 1944 - Nov 1945, unit unknown; d. 5 Aug 1949 Co. Bluffs; metastasized lung cancer.

​† ​(vet.) Barry, Leo O., SN 860-19-58, US Navy, Harrison Co.
  • b. 26 Nov 1922 rural Woodbine, Allen Twp., Harrison Co.; s/o Orville Barry & Olga Johnson; entered service 28 Feb 1944 from Rt. 1, Woodbine; sep. 12 Dec 1944; bur. Woodbine Cem.
  • overseas service May-Nov 1944 in Pacific; US Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory; hospitalized 8 Aug 1944.
  • after separation: farmer in rural Woodbine; d. 15 Sep 1948 Denison, Crawford Co.; skull fracture in auto accident.

† (vet.) Baxter, Robert Dale, SN 316-38-05, US Navy, Mills & Pott. Cos.
  • b. 28 Jan 1916 Hastings, Mills Co.; s/o Harry C. Baxter & Bertha M. Bailey (d. 1916); after mother's death, her three children lived with Baxter grandparents in Hastings through early 1920s, moving to father and stepmother's household in Co. Bluffs bef. 1928; entered service 25 Sep 1939 from Co. Bluffs; sep. & admitted to Veterans Hospital 17 Jun 1947; m. Miriam E. Bell of Waverly, IA in King Co., WA 1945; bur. Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Served on USS Langley, USS Childs, USS William B. Preston, USS Cortland, & USS Tranquility; Coxswain on Preston, a seaplane tender, when it left Cavite, Philippines on 30 Nov 1941; d. 18 Jul 1948 San Fernando Valley Veterans Hospital, Los Angeles, CA; tuberculosis diagnosed in 1945.

† (vet.) Bichel, Edward Henry, SN 37-121-114, US Army Air Force, Mills Co.
  • b. 16 Feb 1910, Oak Twp., Glenwood, Mills Co.; s/o William A. Bichel (d. 1935) & Anna C. Kay (d. 1913) of Oak Twp.; entered service 20 Apr 1942; sep. 28 Sep 1945; bur. Mineola Cem., Mills Co.
  • 335th Bomb Sqdn., 95th Bomb Gp., Eighth Air Force, based at Horham Airfield, Suffolk, England; d. 9 Jun 1949 in hospital, Co. Bluffs; effects of alcoholism.

† (vet.) Bird, John Henry Jr., SN 18-001-201, US Army, Shelby Co.
  • b. 20 Mar 1916 Yuma Co., CO; s/o John H. Bird Sr. (d. 1916) & Lilly B. Stilwell; family returned to Irwin, Shelby Co. after father's death; entered service 16 Dec 1940 from Irwin via Ft. Logan, CO; sep. 24 Aug 1943; bur. Rose Hill Cem., Kirkman, Shelby Co.
  • served with Shipping Co., Armored Replacement Training Ctr., Ft. Knox, KY; d. 24 Jan 1948 at Veterans Hospital, Hines, Cook Co., IL after 3.5 month hospitalization; Hodgkins disease diagnosed while in service.

​† (vet.) Blackwell, Kenneth Chester, SN 321-46-19, US Navy, Shelby Co.
  • b. 3 Jan 1919 Stickney, Maries Co., MO; s/o Albert L. Blackwell & Ada V. Bell; family moved to Shelby Co. in early 1920s; entered service 20 Aug 1940 from Defiance, Shelby Co.; sep. 19 Jul 1947; reenlisted on unknown date; bur. Harlan Cem., Shelby Co.
  • served on USS Waxhaw (AN-91), USS Marblehead (CL-12), and USS Charles R. Ware (DD-685) and at Great Lakes Naval Training Station at time of death; d. 8 Nov 1948 Waukegan, Lake Co., IL; auto went out of control after passing, left the road, and hit a tree.​​

​† (vet.) Borchardt, Robert E., SN 37-817-154, US Army, Cass Co.
  • b. 14 Jun 1927 Atlantic, Cass Co.; s/o Ernest F. Borchardt & Cordie V. Smith; entered service 7 Aug 1945 from Atlantic; sep. 7 Feb 1946; bur. Atlantic Cem.
  • no overseas service; stateside service in US Army Cavalry.
  • after separation: student; d. 21 Mar 1948 Veterans Hospital, Des Moines after stay of four months; tumor in left pelvis.

† (vet.) Bray, Gordon Lee, SN 37-653-155, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 9 Oct 1922 Linton Twp., Allamakee Co.; s/o Glen V. Bray & Ruby Dundee; family moved to Weston, Pott. Co. in late 1920s; entered service 5 Jan 1943 from Rt. 3, Co. Bluffs; separated 21 Sep 1944; m. Annabelle S. Coffelt 1946, one stepchild; bur. Neola Twp. Cem.
  • 327th Harbor Craft Co., Army Transportation Corps, stationed in Charleston, SC; did not accompany unit when it left for the CBI Theater in Mar 1944; disabled, d. 16 Oct 1948 Mercy Hospital, Co. Bluffs of nephritis; living at Rt. 1, Underwood, Pott. Co. at time of death. 

† (vet.) Brooks, Newell Harvey, SN 621-90-41, US Naval Aviation, Pott. Co.
  • b. 23 Jun 1925 Co. Bluffs; s/o Harvey L. Brooks & Irene M. Wallraf; entered service 19 Jun 1923 from Co. Bluffs; sep. 4 Apr 1946; bur. Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • stationed at Naval Air Station, Hilo, Territory of Hawaii Mar 1944 - Mar 1946; d. 27 Dec 1948 Mercy Hospital, Co. Bluffs, suffered from rheumatic fever; gunshot suicide.

† (vet.) Bruce, Floyd L., SN 37-694-432, US Army, Montgomery Co.
  • b. 15 Feb 1912 Red Oak, Montgomery Co. s/o Robert J. Bruce & Bertha M. Haynes; m. Rita M. Cowley May 1934 in Red Oak, one child; entered service 4 Apr 1944 from Red Oak; sep. 11 Jun 1946; d. 6 Dec 1947 at Red Oak; coronary thrombosis.; bur. Evergreen Cem., Red Oak.
  • foreign service 13 Feb 1945 - 6 Jun 1946; Battery A., 659th Field Artillery Bn.; participated in Central Europe Campaign. 

† ​(vet.) Burger, Finley Dale, SN 37-673-430, US Army, Audubon Co.
  • b. 28 Jul 1924 Carroll, Carroll Co.; s/o Finley D. Burger Sr. & Clara Mulford of Viola Twp., Audubon Co.; entered service 2 Jul 1943 from Rt. 1, Gray, Audubon Co.; sep. 15 Nov 1945; m. Bernadette T. Underberg Nov 1945; bur. Viola Center Cem., Audubon Co.
  • overseas service Dec 1943-Jun 1945; 326th Airborne Med. Co., 101st Airborne Inf. Div; Prisoner of War at Stalag 4B, Mühlberg, Saxony, Germany; probably captured early in the Battle of the Bulge.
  • after separation: farmer in rural Adair, Guthrie Co.; d. 26 Apr 1949 St. Anthony Hospital, Carroll; pneumococcal meningitis.

† (vet.) Burkhalter, John Winfield, SN  37-447-802, US Army, Cass Co.
  • b. 30 Mar 1922 Lewis, Cass Co.; s/o Bernard Lyle Burkhalter Sr. & Letha G. Mudra; entered service 14 Dec 1942 from Lewis; sep. 19 Nov 1945; bur. Oakwood Cem., Lewis.
  • ETO service in Hq. Battery, 46th Field Artillery Bn., 5th Inf. Div. & in divisional artillery, 103rd Inf. Div.; d. 24 Feb 1946 three miles E of Walnut, Pott. Co.; killed instantly with crushed skull in a traffic accident.

​† (vet.) Camery, Donald Eugene, SN 37-770-715, US Army, Shelby Co.
  • b. 7 Jan 1926 Harlan, Shelby Co. s/o Morgan Arthur Camery Jr. & Evelyn F. Rold; entered service 22 May 1945 from Harlan; sep. 18 Oct 1946; d. 21 Oct 1946 Oak Park, IL; hit by passenger train while approaching boarding location; bur. Harlan Cem.
  • no foreign service; no other service information available.

​† (vet.) Cary, Harry Keith, SN 37-763-588, US Army, Pott. & Cass Cos.
  • b. 4 Oct 1922 rural Carson, Grove Twp., Pott. Co.; s/o Robert L. Cary & Lenore Bolton; family moved to rural Griswold, Wright Twp., Pott. Co. in late 1920s; entered service 5 Mar 1945 from Griswold; sep. 7 Jul 1946; service credited to Cass Co.; m. Thelma L. Woolard Dec 1944, one child; bur. Carson Cem.
  • service details unknown; d. 25 May 1948 near Griswold, Waveland Twp., Pott. Co.; truck overturned on highway, crushed chest.

† (vet.) Casson, John Raymond Jr., SN 17-063-992, US Army Air Force, Pott. Co.
  • b. 29 May 1920 Rt. 1, Neola, Hardin Twp., Pott. Co.; s/o John R. Casson Sr. & Margaret C. Underwood; entered service 20 Apr 1942 from Hardin Twp.; sep. 16 Feb 1946; bur. Hardin Twp. Cem.
  • Central Flying Training Command; d. 3 May 1949 Hardin Twp. 12 miles E of Co. Bluffs on Highway 6; auto left the road and rolled over.

† (vet.) Champlin, Harold Joy, SN 37-260-821, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 9 Dec 1918 Co. Bluffs; s/o William H. Champlin & Emma C. Schneider; entered service 9 Sep 1942 from Co. Bluffs; two overseas tours; invalided home Aug 1945; separated 16 Oct 1945; bur. Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • military service details unknown, d. 31 Mar 1946 Douglas Co. Hospital, Omaha; suicide. 

† (vet.) Combs, Richard Aaron, SN O-733148, US Army Air Force, Mills Co.
  • ​b. 16 Apr 1920 Nebraska City, Otoe Co., NE; s/o Aaron B. Combs & Sylvia Ann Swisher; family moved to Pacific Jct., Mills Co. in 1920s; entered service 10 Sep 1940 from Pacific Jct.; sep. 25 Oct 1945; m. Margery D. (Phillips) Taylor 1949, one stepchild; bur. Glenwood Cem., Mills Co.
  • overseas service Mar 1943 - Apr 1944, unit unknown; 236th AAF Combat Crew Training Squadron (VH) at Pyote AFB, Monanans, TX; d. 24 Sep 1949 Omaha, NE; gunshot suicide after killing wife.
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† (vet.) Curnes, Alvin Hezekiah, SN 648-65-57, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • b. 19 Jan 1906 Osceola, Clarke Co.; s/o Fred F. Curnes & Anna L. Valentine; m. Inez M. Goodrich 1936; moved to Co. Bluffs ~ 1940; entered service 14 Oct 1942 from Co. Bluffs; separated 29 Sep 1944; bur. Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • 61st Naval Construction Bn., South Pacific; d. 25 Sep 1948 Co. Bluffs; cerebral hemorrhage.

† (vet.) Curran, Walter Francis, SN 648-59-74, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • b. 5 Oct 1909 Portsmouth, Shelby Co.; s/o Walter F. Curran (d. 1928) & Alice C. Walker; m. Eilene Stapleton 1930 in Mills Co., div.; m. Irene Lappe 1935, one child, div. Nov 198; m. Edna May Scott Nov 1948 in Omaha, two stepchildren; entered service Sep 1942 from Co. Bluffs; sep. 2 Oct 1945; bur. St. Joseph Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • served in South Pacific on USS Steele (DE-8); d. 12 May 1949 at home Co. Bluffs; suicide by rifle, had been despondent since leaving service.
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† ​(vet.) Dalldorf, Carl F., SN 37-772-471, US Army Air Force, Clay Co.
  • b. 18 Feb 1926 Portsmouth, Shelby Co.; s/o Fred C. Dalldorf & Emma M. Noehren; family moved to Crawford Co. before 1930 and to Spencer, Clay Co. in early 1930s; m. Verna Y. Smith 1944, two children; entered service 17 Aug 1944 from Everly, Clay Co.; sep. 13 Dec 1946; bur. North Lawn Cem., Spencer.
  • 355th Army Air Force Base Unit.
  • after separation: truck driver; d. 10 Jun 1947, Rock Rapids, Lyons Co.; burns from a traffic accident

† (vet.) Desmond, Bernard Patrick, SN 37-112-517, US Army, Cass Co.
  • b. 10 May 1916 Atlantic, Cass Co.; s/o Patrick J. Desmond (d. 1946) & Margaret Rebecca Leslie (d. 1934); family lived in Atlantic until father retired; entered service 2 Feb 1942 from Des Moines, sep. 1 Dec. 1945; m. Lois M. Hess 1947 Co. Bluffs; bur. St. Joseph Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • overseas service 28 Mar 1944 - 20 Nov 1945, unit unknown; d. 10 May 1947 Washington, Washington Co.; fire in railroad bunk car.
  • Notes: Nephew of George Leslie, from whom my parents bought our Avoca, Iowa farm.

† (vet.) Donahoe, John "Jack", SN 37-029-424, US Army, Plymouth Co.
  • b. 16 Oct 1910 LeMars, Plymouth Co.; s/o John S. Donahoe & Margaret E. Kern; entered service 6 Sep 1942 from LeMars; sep. 31 Jan 1945; m. Helen M. Hansen of Harrison Co. Dec 1945 & settled in Kansas City, two children; bur. Memorial Cem., LeMars.
  • 1755 Service Command Unit, Camp Clark POW camp, near Nevada, MO; d. 6 Apr 1948 Kansas City, MO; carbon monoxide poisoning.

† ​(vet.) Donohue, Darwin John, SN 17-042-681, US Army Air Force, Montgomery Co.
  • b. 2 Nov 1916 rural Red Oak, Frankfort Twp., Montgomery Co. s/o Evral J. Donohue & Viola M. Truitt (d. 1931); m. Harriet L. Milne 1940, one child, div.; m. Betty M. Pangburn 1946, one child; entered service 19 Jan 1942 from Des Moines; sep. 24 Jun 1945; bur. Evergreen Cem., Red Oak.
  • overseas service Jul 1942-Apr 1945; 415th Bomb. Sqdn., 98th Bomb. Gp. in African-Mid Eastern & Mediterranean Theaters.
  • after separation: employed by a rubber company in Lincoln, NE; d. 6 Oct 1948 Lincoln; suicide by gunshot.

​† ​(vet.) Doty, Donald Leslie, SN 37-446-414, US Army, Harrison Co.
  • b. 10 Dec 1919 Missouri Valley, Harrison Co. s/o Earl B. Doty & Mary L. "Ella" Coulthard; entered service 2 Dec 1942 from Missouri Valley; sep. 17 Nov 1945; m. Beryle C. Weston of Iowa; d. 25 Jan 1946 in hospital, Co. Bluffs; struck by falling tree along Boyer River near Woodbine; bur. Rose Hill Cem., Missouri Valley.
  • foreign service Oct 1944 - Sep 1945; unit & location unknown.

† ​(vet.) Downer, William Gale, served as Gale W. Downer, SN 17-038-602, US Army Air Force, York Co., NE.
  • b. 2 Mar 1907 York, York Co., NE; s/o George Downer & Elizabeth Prather; m. Lenore L. (Liggett) Lewis, one child, div.; entered service 8 Jan 1942 from Co. Bluffs/Omaha; sep. 8 Sep 1945; m. Ruth Olson 1944, two stepchildren; bur. Greenwood Cem., York.
  • 5th Bombardment Wing, Fifteenth Air Force, Mediterranean Theater; aerial gunner; returned to the US in 1944 to train as a B-29 gunner.
  • after separation: lived in Co. Bluffs and worked as an asbestos salesman; d. 13 Mar 1947 Co. Bluffs; heart attack.

† (vet.) Edie, Marion Robert, SN 317-06-35, US Navy, Mills Co.
  • b. 11 Apr 1916 Emerson, Mills Co.; s/o David A. Edie (d. 1941) & Hebe L. Johnson; entered service 18 Nov 1940 from Emerson; sep. 14 Jun 1944; bur. Emerson Cem.
  • 133rd Inf. Regt., 34th Inf. Div.; d. 14 Dec 1949 Sioux City, Woodbury Co.; spine broken in natural gas explosion at Swift & Co.; 21 died.

† (vet.) Edie, Roland Lewis, SN 20-706-760, US Army, Mills Co.
  • b. 30 May 1918 Emerson, Mills Co.; s/o David A. Edie (d. 1941) & Hebe L. Johnson; entered service 25 Mar 1944 from rural Emerson; sep. 22 Mar 1947; bur. Emerson Cem.
  • overseas service Jan 1945 - Feb 1946 on USS Colbert (APA-145) in Pacific; d. 4 Jun 1947 Red Oak, Montgomery Co.; section hand fell off railroad car on Chicago Burlington & Quincy RR bridge and drowned in East Nishnabotna River during June 1947 Iowa floods.

† (vet.) Fagan, Burnett Cross, SN 37-260-687, US Army, Montgomery Co.
  • b. 5 Sep 1920 Page, Holt Co., NE; s/o Ralph M. Fagan (b. Shelby, Shelby Co.) & Mary L. Cross; father Methodist minister; family lived in numerous rural Nebraska locations before moving to SW Iowa in late 1930s; entered service 9 Sep 1942 from Elliott, Montgomery Co.; sep. (invalided out) 17 Jul 1945; bur. Hillside Cem., Elliott.
  • overseas service Jan 1944 - Jan 1945, theater & unit unknown; shrapnel wound Jun 1944; d. 17 Jan 1946 Methodist Hospital, Omaha, metastised testicular cancer.

† (vet.) Falconer, Max Clyde, SN 871-97-90, US Navy, Cass Co.
  • b. 9 Feb 1925 Corning, Adams Co; s/o Clyde R. Falconer & Martha M. Kerkmann; family moved to Anita, Cass Co. in late 1920s; entered service 23 Jul 1943 from Anita; sep. 9 Apr 1946; bur. Evergreen Cem., Anita.
  • stationed at US Navy Operating Base Adak, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Territory; d 22 Jun 1946 Anita, suicide from gunshot.

† (vet.) Fedor, Joseph James, SN 872-24-08, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • b. 4 Oct 1925 Omaha, NE; s/o Frank Fedor & Rose Takas; family moved to Co. Bluffs bef 1930; entered service 12 Nov 1943 from Co. Bluffs; sep. 15 Apr 1946; m. Bertha Lorraine Jacobsen 1946, div.; bur. Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • USS Sumter (APA-52), Pacific Theater; d. 19 Jan 1949 Pioneer Trail, Lewis Twp., Pott. Co.; car lost control, flipped three times, and hit a light pole.

† (vet.) Feller, Marvin Julius, SN 872-09-79, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • b. 21 May 1925 rural Honey Creek, Boomer Twp., Pott. Co.; s/o Julius J. Feller & Alma M. Reese; family moved to Co. Bluffs in early 1930s; entered service 24 Sep 1943 from Co. Bluffs; released 9 Apr 1946; bur. Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • d. 21 Jul 1946, Co. Bluffs; auto accident.

† (vet.) Fisk, Aaron Ervin, SN 37-121-296, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 23 Jan 1906 Aitkin Co., MN; s/o William Fisk & Mary Susan Cooper of Minnesota; lived Co. Bluffs; m. Frieda Loah Bowen 1926 (d. 1941); two children (d. 1927 & 1945); entered service 21 Apr 1942 from Co. Bluffs; released 3 Aug 1943; bur. Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • 8th Evacuation Hospital, Morocco; returned to US and discharged; d. 24 Jan 1945, Veteran’s Hospital, Lincoln, Lancaster Co., NE, organ failure.

† ​(vet) Franklin, Raleigh Kenmore, SN 151-26-86, US Navy, Polk Co.
  • b. 18 Sep 1894 Atlantic, Cass Co.; s/o George W. Franklin (d. 1912) & Nancy E. Bishop (d. 1923); family moved to Des Moines in 1897; m. Nellie C. Winberg 1921, three children; entered service 27 Jun 1942 from Des Moines; sep. 13 Nov 1942; bur. Glendale Cem., Des Moines.
  • served in Naval Reserve in Washington, DC; d. 12 Jan 1947 Des Moines; coronary heart disease.
  • Notes: Also served in WWI 7 May 1917-5 Feb 1919.

† (vet.) From, Glen Ferdinand, SN 37-694-403, US Army Air Force, Pott. Co.
  • b. 4 May 1900 Omaha; s/o Charles F. From & Hilma Nelson, both b. Sweden; m. Mildred V. Mack 1933 in Pott. Co., one child; entered service 3 Apr 1944 from Co. Bluffs; sep. 6 Dec 1945; bur. Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • 3706 AAF Base Unit, Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, TX; d. 20 Jan 1948 Co. Bluffs; gastro-intestinal hemorrhage.