The following is a complilation of several lists, including but not limited to, the DAR plaque and its addendum on the Colorado County courthouse wall, the article “Supreme Scarifice: Colorado County’s World War II Dead” by Joe C. Fling, Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volumbus 5, Number 3, September 1986, the Nesbitt Library's web site, extractions from the county newspapers: Colorado County Citizen, Eagle Lake Headlight and Weimar Mercury.
The following notations have been used to assist you:
(DAR)-listed on the DAR plaque at the Colorado County courthouse or on the addendum plaque (photo above)
(CCC)-not listed on the DAR plaque but claimed by Colorado County because of close ties to the County
(NMLJ)-Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal
(NMLW) Nesbitt Memorial Library Website
(ROWD)-a series of articles on our servicemen who died during WWII by Joe C. Fling
Addicks, Leroy L. (corporal ) Died April 25, 1945. Son of Louis and Minnie Addicks. Buried at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraen, Netherlands.(CCC)
Ahlgrim, Elo August Wilhelm (private first class) (April 14, 1919 - May 21, 1945) Son of Max and Hattie (Mehrens) Ahlgrim. Married Janetta Schmidt. Killed in action on Okinawa (DAR) (NMLW)
Alley, Felton Forrest (private), (March 7, 1924 in Ramsey, TX - February 5, 1944) Son of Joe Dan and Della (Parker) Alley. Killed in action at Anzio Beach, in Italy. Reinterred in Alley Cemetery in 1948. (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Austin, William David (sergeant) March 7, 1919 - November 17, 1941) Son of Thomas E. and Ethel (Magee) Austin. Killed in an automobile accident near Borden, Texas. Died twenty days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but is nonetheless considered a military war casualty of World War II. Buried in Lakeside Cemetery (CCC) (NMLW)
Baker, Orville Lee (seaman second class) (February 24, 1920 - January 9, 1942) Son of Oscar and Mamie (Townsend) Baker. Died of blood poisoning when stationed in the State of Washington. Buried in Myrtle Cemetery (DAR) (NMLW)
Blassingame, Frank P. (Capt.) (DAR)
Brasher, Preston P. (private) (died September 17, 1944) Married Jewel Horn in 1942. Killed in action, specifics unknown. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Breithaupt, Reinhardt Henry (private) (May 3, 1913 - March 23, 1945) Son of William and Frieda (Wienken) Breithaupt. Killed in action in Germany. Reinterred in Weimar Masonic Cemetery (DAR) (NMLW)
Brosman, John (CCC)
Brown, Robert W., Jr. (died December 20, 1943) Killed in action on a bombing mission over eastern Bulgaria (CCC) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Brune, Adolph Charles (staff sergeant) (July 14, 1921 - May 14, 1945) Son of Edward and Emily (Trojan) Brune. Killed in action on Okinawa. Reinterred in Weimar Odd Fellows Cemetery (CCC) (NMLW)
Bubolz, Edward H., Jr (sergeant) (died May 7, 1945) Son of Edward H. and Edna L. (Radtke) Bubolz. Killed over the North Sea. (DAR) (NMLW)
Cauthen, Weldon Davis (lieutenant) (February 19, 1917 - July 17, 1944) Son of Paul Hamilton and Christine (Davis) Cauthen. Killed in action. Memorial marker in Eagle Lake Masonic Cemetery, married Gloria Tilson of Eagle Lake. She was expecting his child at the time of his death. (CCC) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Christen, Daniel Paul (February 26, 1921 - April 24, 1945) Son of Frank and Francis (Laake) Christen. Mortally wounded in action on Okinawa, April 21, 1945 Reinterred in St. Michael’s Cemetery (DAR) (NMLW)
Cone, Clarence Ross (private) (August 11, 1900 - April 27, 1943) Son of Wilson Ross and Sallie L. Cone. . While recovering from surgery, slipped in the shower and sustained a fatal wound to his head. Buried in Weimar Masonic Cemetery (DAR) (NMLW)
Connor, Ernest Louis (seaman first class) (April 21, 1920 - July 6, 1943) Son of Mathew William and Matilda (Schulenburg) Connor. Assigned to the USS Helena, and killed in action when she was sunk (CCC) (NMLW)
Cook, William Raymond (born 1916.-died September 15, 1942) Son of George Edwin Cook. Was one of 193 men killed when USS Wasp was torpedoed and destroyed by two Japanese submarines. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Davis, James M., Jr. (2nd lt) Have not found his connection to Colorado County. (DAR)
Eggers, Glenn E. (January 18, 1920 - May 8, 1945) Son of William Thomas and Mamie Anderson (Waddell) Eggers. Killed in action in China. Reinterment in Lakeside Cemetery (CCC) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Eggers, Richard Lloyd (electrician’s mate third class) (August 13, 1923 - December 5, 1943) Son of Richard L. and Geraldine Eggers. Fatally wounded November 1943 by the accidental discharge of a pistol carried by a crewmate who was relieving him of guard duty. Interment in Lakeside Cemetery (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Estlinbaum, Fred E. (sergeant) (born December 10, 1924 - died January 10, 1945) Son of William D. abd Emma (Lambert) Estlinbaum Killed on a mission over Germany. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Evoritt, Jerrald Preston (flight officer) (born ca 1933 - died March 13, 1945) Son of Clifford E. and Marjorie (Wood) Evoritt. Killed in action when his fighter was hit by anti-aircraft fire near Hiebroon, Germany. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Fojtik, Emil (private) (January 19, 1921 - February 10, 1945) Son of Alois and Annie (Voitle) Fojtik. Born . Killed in Germany. Marker in Weimar Masonic Cemetery. (CCC) (NMLW)
Foster, William Newton (staff sergeant) (June 11, 1917 - November 14, 1943) Son of F. R. Foster. Killed in an airplane crash near Tobruk, Libya. Returned to Colorado County for burial after the war.(cemetery not known) (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Gage, Lawrence (private) (November 7, 1914 - January 1, 1945) Son of Ben and Dora (Webster) Gage. Married Bernice Clayborne. Killed by a passing automobile while walking along the highway east of Weimar. (DAR) (NMLW)
Grogan, William Denzil, Jr. (died October 21, 1943) Son of William Denzil and Beulah E. (French) Grogan. Enlisted in the Canadian army before the United States entered World War II. Killed in action near the Volturno River when rushing a German machine-gun nest. (DAR) (NMLW)
Harris, James Boyd, Jr. ( (seaman first class) (January 18, 1927 - May 27, 1945) Son of James Boyd and Alice (Woolridge) Harris. Killed in action when the USS Braine was struck by two kamikazes near Okinawa. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Hastedt, Paul Perry (private first class) (June 5, 1912 - January 29, 1943) Son of Henry Andrew and Mamie Josephine (Hahn) Hastedt. Killed in action by a Japanese sniper on Guadalcanal. Reinterred in Odd Fellows Rest, Columbus in 1948. Columbus chapter of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars named in his honor. (DAR) (NMLW)
Henry, John Paul (private first class) (October 21, 1921 - June 8, 1945) Son of John Davis and Cuttie Ellen (Vordick) Henry. Killed in action on Cebu Island. Body reinterred in Myrtle Cemetery in 1948 (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Herndon, Ernest August (April 23, 1922 - November 5, 1944) Son of Charles William and Ida Minnie (Meyer) Herndon. Married Ida Meyer. Killed in action in Luxembourg Body reinterred in Odd Fellows Rest, Columbus. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Hodde, Arthur (November 3, 1916 - February 19, 1945) Son of Edward and Ida (Hoffman) Hodde. Born . . Killed in action near Fraulaurtern, Germany. Body reinterred in Lakeside Cemetery, Eagle Lake in 1950. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Hodde, Edward Joseph (flight instructor) (August 24, 1911 - November 2, 1943) Son of Henry and Josephine Hodde. Served as a civilian instructor for pilots in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Killed in an accidental airplane crash. Buried in Odd Fellows Rest, Columbus. (DAR) (NMLW)
Howard, Jack B. (ensign) (May 20, 1920- Jul 5, 1943) Son of John F. and Anna (Hillje) Howard. Went down with his ship Destroyer USS Strong in battle of Kulo Gulf Soloman Island in the South Pacific, Memorial marker in Weimar Odd Fellows Cemetery.
Huepers, George Reinhard (private first class) (September 13, 1922 - April 19, 1945) Son of Peter E. and Louise B. (Schneider) Huepers. Mortally wounded in action on Okinawa, April 14, 1945. Body reinterred in Weimar Masonic Cemetery in 1949. (DAR) (NMLW)
Hutchins, Johnnie David (seaman first class) (August 4, 1922 - September 4, 1943) Son of Johnnie Marin and Callie (Drue) Hutchins. Posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, for steering his ship clear of a torpedo just before he died of the grievous wounds he had received. . Body reinterred in Lakeside Cemetery, Eagle Lake in June 1948. See Hutchins website. (CCC) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Jackson, Marion Dennis (private) (May 20, 1918 - March 23, 1944) Son of Henderson and Sylvia (Dennis) Jackson. Married Marthy Winn, December 10, 1938. Buried in an American military cemetery in Italy, indicating that he died there. The short-lived black chapter of the American Legion in Columbus was named in his honor. (DAR) (NMLW)
Jarmon, Early Earnestine (private) (born 1920 - died December 28, 1942) Son of George and Ida (Walker) Jarmon. Death is classified as a "non-battle" death. Buried at Shepard Memorial Cemetery. (DAR) (NMLW)
Kallina, Leon Phillip (second lieutenant) (August 23, 1918 - May 28, 1942) Son of Frank J. and Millie (Frnka) Kallina. Born . Mortally wounded in action over the Coral Sea. Originally buried at Port Moresby, New Guinea, his body was reinterred in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Nada in 1948 (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Klesel, Albert R. (December 3, 1922 - April 10, 1945) Son of Willie A. and Martha Klesel.. Married Alice Shumbera, April 18, 1944. Killed in action by gunfire from the German lines near Erfurt. Body reinterred in New Bielau Cemetery in 1949. (DAR) (NMLW)
Krejci, Frank J. Jr. (died January 15, 1943) Son of Frank J. and Tillie (Valenta) Krejci. Born October 6, 1919. Married Lillian Oncken, January 2, 1943. Killed in a training accident when his aircraft crashed at Barksday Field, Louisiana. Buried Weimar Masonic Cemetery. (DAR) (NMLW)
Krenek, Leroy J. (private) (August 28, 1924 - April 25, 1945) See Fayette County TXGenWeb (DAR)
Kubenka, Bernard (private first class) (January 25, 1924 -May 26, 1945) Son of Emil W. and Louise (Janecka) Kubenka. Killed in action on Okinawa. Body reinterred in St. Michael’s Cemetery in April 1949 (DAR) (NMLW)
Lanier, Henry Travis; born: Sep 18, 1921; died: Feb 11, 1944; Masonic; Lot #94; Grave Space 8
Son of Henry Travis and Etta Alice (Moss) Lanier, killed in World War II (Memorial Stone)
Lanier, Norman L. (March 2, 1925 - October 13, 1944) Son of David Leslie and Ola Belle (Smith) Lanier. Killed in action in southern France. Buried in American miliary cemetery in Epinal, France. Memorial stones were erected beside a large oak tree at the Lehrer Memorial Methodist Church in Garwood and in 1963 in Odd Fellows Rest, Columbus (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Manofsky, Frank J. (private) (April 7, 1911 - July 26, 1944) Son of Joseph and Annie (Muenster) Manofsky. Married Opal Hall, 1936. Entered the U. S. Army, December 11, 1942. Killed in action in France, during the Normandy campaign. Body reinterred in Weimar Odd Fellows Cemetery in January 1948 (CCC) (NMLW)
Maxwell, Leonard (sargent) (CCC)
Mazoch, Ivan (private) (October 7, 1917 - July 13, 1942) Son of Joe Mazoch. See Fayette County TXGenWeb (CCC)
Meyer, Peter D. (private first class) (February 19, 1919 - November 14, 1944) Son of Willie D. and Emma Meyer. Married Lonide Sophie Muesse. . Killed in action in France. Body returned to Colorado County for burial in 1949.(CCC) (NMLW)
Miculka, Clarence J. (corporal) (June 30, 1916 - April 24, 1945) Son of Charles Miculka. Killed in action near Dillingen, Germany. Buried at Forest Park Cemetery in Houston. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Muehr, Arthur Louis (March 2, 1926 - March 23, 1946) Son of Rudolph and Annie (Ripper) Muehr. Born . Died at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Waco, Texas, particulars unknown. (DAR) (NMLW)
New, Almous C. (staff sergeant) (June 29, 1922 - March 11, 1944) Son of Johnnie Joshua and Lalla Beatrice New. Killed in action while participation in a raid on Toulon Harbor, in France. Returned to the United States for burial in 1948. (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Niemeyer, Ervin W. (private first class) (August 25, 1915 - May 22, 1945) Son of of William Christian and Annie Meta Minnie (Platte) Niemeyer. Married Marie Henneke. Killed in a training accident, when his aircraft caught fire on take off and crashed Buried in St, Roch’s Cemetery, Mentz (DAR) (NMLW)
Otting, Laurin Preston (second lieutenant) (September 6, 1924 - January 14, 1945) Son of Gus Otting. Shot down over Luxembourg on a mission to bomb Cologne, Germany. (DAR) (NMLW)
Parker, Maurice Walker (technical sergeant) (November 13, 1903 - February 12, 1943) Son of George Walker Parker. Married Frances Cabaniss in 1931. Buried in Bermuda. Body reinterred in Eagle Lake Masonic cemetery. (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Pavlik, Leroy Joe (private) (February 19, 1923 - May 1, 1945) Son of Ernest and Carolyn (Miska) Pavlik. Killed on Okinawa. Body reinterred in St. Michael’s Cemetry in February 1949 (CCC) (NMLW)
Pawelek, Frederick Eilert (June 21, 1921 - May 29, 1944) Son of Herman Eilert and Helen (Poppe) Pawelek. Served as a gunner’s mate on a U. S. Navy ship in the Pacific. Killed in action when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. Body never recovered Monument erected in his memory in New Bielau Cemetery. (DAR) (NMLW)
Plagens, Robert L. (lieutenant) (August 13, 1917 - May 3, 1943) Son of Adolf H. and Ruby (Horton) Plagens. Killed on a mission in Southeast Asia. Initially buried in India. Body returned to Texas in 1948. Buried in the National Cemetery at Fort Sam Houston. (DAR) (NMLW)
Runk, Harold W. (sergeant) (September 13, 1921 - March 4, 1945) Son of Jack M. and Mamie Ethel (Smith) Runk. Killed by an accidental gunshot wound at Bardenburg, Germany. Body reinterred in Odd Fellows Rest, Columbus in 1949. (DAR) (NMLW)
Schobel, Gilbert (marine machinist first class) (July 18, 1915 - November 28, 1944) Son of John and Lillian (Kallus) Schobel. While home on leave to attend his father’s funeral, complained of symptoms of appendicitis. Died at John F. Bell Memorial Hospital in Columbus of complications from surgery Buried first in Odd Fellows Rest then reinterred in St. Anthony’s Cemetery. (CCC) (NMLW)
Selph, Israel Ed (sergeant) (May 6, 1909 - October 1, 1943) Son of Madison and Laura (Cole) Selph. Born in Sheridan, Texas, . Inducted into military service, February 28, 1941. Discharged October 1941. Recalled to active service in 1942. Suffered fatal wounds when he stepped on a land mine while attempting to remove such mines along a supply route. (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Shimek, Frank I. (corporal, died May 23, 1942) Son of Ignac Shimek. Born c. 1919. Died in Hawaii of jaundice. (DAR) (NMLW)
Shimek, Robert (sergeant) (September 3, 1925 - April 3, 1945) Son of John and Betty Shimek. Killed in action when a German soldier threw a hand grenade in the midst of a patrol Shimek was leading. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Shirley, James Gerald (radio operator) (December 24, 1924 - August 13, 1945) Son of Edward H. and Zora (James) Shirley. Served as radio operator for a U. S. Navy aircraft based on the carrier USS Shangri La. Drowned when, after experiencing engine trouble on a return trip to the carrier after a mission over Japan, the pilot set the aircraft down in the ocean. Memorial marker at Eagle Lake Masonic Cemetery. (DAR) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Stahl, John Henry (seaman second class) (died November 24, 1943) Son of Lee Stahl. Was one of 626 crewmen killed when Liscome Bay was destroyed by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine off the coast of Makin. (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Stapleton, William Lee (DAR) (seaman first class) (August 29, 1922 - October 16, 1942) Son of Ben Lee and Eunice (Hoover) Stapleton. Was serving at sea on the USS McFarland when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Was one of 27 crewmen killed in a Japanese air attack on McFarland off the coast of Guadalcanal. Originally buried on a nearby island. Reinterred in Lakeside Cemetery in Eagle Lake in 1948. Eagle Lake chapter of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars named in his honor. (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Stewart, Hoyt McClure Died Aug 8 1944 his wife Alice Delores Patton Stewart with a one month old son was living in Garwood at the time. she was from La Grange He is on Ft. Bend county list. (CCC)
Stockton, C. B. On Lavaca County list. (CCC)
Vaughan, Louis Donald (aviation radioman third class) Died October 26, 1944 Son of Jessie Picard Vaughan of Sheridan. Served in the United States Navy. Circumstances of his death unknown. Buried in Manila, the Philippines. (CCC) (NMLW) (ROWD)
Watson, Kearby Lee. (died October 24, 1944) Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Captured by the Japanese, May 1942. Transferred with other prisoners on a transport ship, October 11, 1944. Killed, along with some 1770 other prisoners, when the transport ship was torpedoed by a United States submarine. (DAR) (NMLW)
Weiss, Arthur W. (private first class) (August 17, 1916 - November 17, 1943) Son of Joe Weiss. Killed in action in Italy. (DAR) (NMLW)
Westmoreland, John Blasdell (lieutenant) (July 20, 1920 - January 26, 1943) Son of R. Thomas and Lizzie (Blasdell) Westmoreland. Killed on a routine training flight from Patterson Field in Springfield, Ohio when his aircraft crashed and exploded near Donaldsonville, Ohio. Buried in Eagle Lake Masonic Cemetery (DAR) (ROWD) (NMLW)
Wright, Everett (CCC) (ROWD)
Wooldridge, J. Dick (sergeant) (November 21, 1907 - July 16, 1946) Son of Thomas James and Mattie Emma (Dick) Wooldridge. Died at a hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, due to injuries sustained during the war. Buried at Lakeside Cemetery, Eagle Lake. (CCC) (NMLW)
Yanez, Jesse P. (born ca 1924 -died June 5, 1944) Son of Cayetano and Natividad Yanez. Killed when his aircraft crashed returning from a mission over Pioppi, Italy (DAR) (NMLW)
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