Taps

BY FATHER PHIL SALOIS, M.S.

Dear God almighty and Grandfather Spirit: You, who hear the cry of your children here on earth, we come again to implore Your divine mercy and ask You to pour forth Your abundant blessings on us as we commemorate the sacrifices made by men and women who have served these United States in the military since the birth of our nation. It is a time to remember the members of our families who have served in all the wars fought by this country throughout the ages. 

It is also important to remember all our battle buddies who were killed or taken prisoners and are still unaccounted for. These comrades whom we fought side by side with and who may have even died in our arms will always be held close to our hearts. They are forever embedded into our memory. Please grant them all comfort as they rest in peace in Your heavenly kingdom. We commend them all to Your care. 

We also call upon You, dear Lord, to be a source of solace and comfort to all those families who have lost loved ones in a time of war by pouring your soothing balm upon them until the day when they will be reunited with them in Your eternal home. Lord, we never want to forget on this Memorial Day all those who continue to answer the call of their country and who are serving today in our armed forces in the most dangerous parts of the world. Surround them with a protective shield, keep them alert and safe, and bring them all safely home to their families and friends. We make this prayer in Your Holy Name, O Lord! Amen!

Gary A. Acton, 76, Montana Chapter 334, died October 29, 2018. 

David Michael Allen, 72, Pennsylvania Chapter 862, died November 26, 2018.

Paul William Anderson, 77, North Dakota Chapter 941, died January 31, 2017. 

Denner Alexander Astyk, Jr., 71, New York Chapter 77, died January 22.

Frederick Aughenbaugh, 68, Pennsylvania Chapter 974, died October 4, 2018. 

Robert S. Baker, 71, Maine Chapter 1044, died February 13.

John Robert Barger, 74, Ohio Chapter 97, died February 14. 

John Norman Bartgis II, 67, Maryland Chapter 304, died February 24. 

James Arnold Bartley, 82, Texas Chapter 910, died April 28, 2017.

Leo Alan Battle, 72, California Chapter 582, died December 31, 2018. 

Lloyd D. Beasley, 67, Illinois Chapter 693, died May 11, 2018.

Nicholas Bellantoni, 70, New Jersey Chapter 12, died December 12, 2018.

Charles Edward Berger, 75, Kansas Chapter 317, died March 6.

John Eugene Bishop, 78, Iowa Chapter 776, died February 22. 

Robert C. Bowditch, 74, Florida Chapter 1084, died March 13. 

Gary Z. Bower, 76, at-large Pennsylvania, died February 15. 

James Edwin Boyce, 73, Pennsylvania Chapter 862, died February 26.

David Branham, 72, Michigan Chapter 9, died March 1.

Cecil Paul Bridges, Sr., 75, Missouri Chapter 1056, died November 28, 2018.

William Y. Bridges, 75, Virginia Chapter 433, died March 12.

Edward J. Briele, 69, New York Chapter 77, died February 25.

Thomas Lee Brubaker, Jr., 70, Texas Chapter 1013, died March 19.

Charles James Butler, Jr., 81, Iowa Chapter 776, died September 18, 2013. 

James R. Caines, 72, Georgia Chapter 671, died March 10.

Dennis C. Calhoun, 73, Michigan Chapter 154, died February 7. 

Ronald Paul Carr, Sr., 72, Maryland Chapter 172, died December 21, 2018. 

Pablo Castorena, 76, Texas Chapter 574, died March 22. 

John Stanley Chatman, 70, Ohio Chapter 97, died February 28.

Joseph Paul Christiano, 72, New Jersey Chapter 800, died January 24.

Betty Jean Chubb, 78, Florida Chapter 1048, died February 22.

Lawrence R. Copeland, 76, California Chapter 218, died December 25, 2018. 

William W. Cornelius, 64, at-large Montana, died February 5, 2016. 

William K. Crum, 69, at-large New York, died recently.

Richard Randall Cunningham, 70, Tennessee Chapter 1124, died January 30. 

Gregory Carter Daigneault, 75, Maine Chapter 1044, died June 19, 2018. 

Sidney Earl Daniels, 73, Maryland Chapter 641, died February 25. 

Johnny Donald Davis, 72, Oklahoma Chapter 751, died February 14. 

Starr G. Deibert, 72, Michigan Chapter 380, died March 7. 

Louis A. Delgado, 71, Florida Chapter 1125, died recently.

David M. Deminsky, 71, Arizona Chapter 1043, died February 22. 

Paul L. DePaoli, 70, New York Chapter 82, died September 16, 2014. 

Ronald Edward Dixon, 80, Illinois Chapter 299, died February 13.

Felim P. Doherty, 68, New Jersey Chapter 800, died January 9. 

Michael F. Donohue, Jr., 70, New Hampshire Chapter 41, died October 13, 2018. 

Roger Wayne Duckett, 72, Pennsylvania Chapter 974, died December 24, 2018. 

Harley Charles Dunakin, Sr., 74, Ohio Chapter 954, died March 13. 

Paul L. Dunn, 75, Ohio  Chapter 649, died recently.

Robert Judd Eckerson, 76, New Jersey Chapter 1002, died January 1.

Michael R. Egan, 73, at-large Florida, died October 15, 2018.

David Dennis Ellis, 71, Pennsylvania Chapter 131, died August 1, 2018. 

Robert J. Emery, 71, Pennsylvania Chapter 862, died February 19.

Donald E. Evanshine, Jr., 61, Ohio Chapter 649, died November 22, 2010. 

Gery Phillip Ezell, 75, Tennessee Chapter 396, died March 27. 

John E. Fabula, 73, New Jersey Chapter 800, died May 18, 2018. 

Bernard D. Fry, 69, New York Chapter 20, died recently.

Robert Louis Gambert, Jr., 75, Pennsylvania Chapter 542, died March 10.

David F. Garceau, Sr., 77, Florida Chapter 1040, died January 14, 2018.

Robert Joseph Gilman, 72, Illinois Chapter 311, died April 21, 2018.

Mary Cathryn Gobert, 68, Texas Chapter 292, died August 3, 2018. 

Rodney Anthony Gobert, 71, Texas Chapter 292, died February 27. 

Lawrence Anthony Goucher , 70, Rhode Island Chapter 818, died March 12. 

Frederick Michael Gould, 72, New Jersey Chapter 800, died September 13, 2018. 

Raymond Greene, 73, Pennsylvania Chapter 415, died June 21, 2018. 

John Guerrero, 80, North Dakota Chapter 941, July 29, 2016.

Walter Clift Gwin, 89, Oklahoma Chapter 751, died February 26. 

Robert David Hagewood, 71, Tennessee Chapter 240, died March 22. 

James Robert Haight, 71, Pennsylvania Chapter 720, died March 5.

John Arthur Hawbecker, 80, South Carolina Chapter 1017, died January 30. 

Lawrence James Hawkins, Sr., 83, Florida Chapter 1125, died February 15.

Darvel Edwin Hemann, 72, Illinois Chapter 269, died February 19. 

Roger Heymanowski, 72, New York Chapter 77, died December 30, 2017. 

Charles Donald Hiller, 71, Pennsylvania Chapter 542, died February 12.

Rudolph Antinelli Holton, 69, Pennsylvania Chapter 542, died March 4. 

Michael Harold Holz, 76, Ohio Chapter 97, died February 15. 

Jon D. Hovde, 70, Maryland Chapter 641, died November 12, 2018.

Francis Luther Huntley, 77, at-large Idaho, died March 7.

Floyd Belmont Imler, Jr., 76, Maryland Chapter 172, died February 15.

Robert Oliver Jacobson, 72, North Dakota Chapter 941, died February 11.

John Joseph Jadlowski, 65, New York Chapter 944, died March 11.

Connie Lee Jaekel, 72, Michigan Chapter 1083, died February 5. 

Thomas Michael Johnson, 68, Wisconsin Chapter 224, died January 25. 

Virginia Ann Johnson, 65, Iowa Chapter 490, died February 11. 

Walter Eugene Juillerat, 72, Nevada Chapter 834, died October 16, 2018. 

Neil B. Kemp, 70, Indiana Chapter 71, died February 21. 

Herman E. Kiefer III, 86, at-large California, died March 13.

Gene Richard Kopec, 73, Florida Chapter 1037, died recently.

Gary L. Kuderman, 72, California Chapter 47, died March 13, 2017. 

Joseph Samuel Laposata, 80, Pennsylvania Chapter 364, died December 3, 2018.     

Thomas James Ledbetter, 71, Oregon Chapter 757, died recently.

Ronald Lee Leuenberger, 74, Iowa Chapter 790, died November 15, 2018.

William Roger Lloyd, Sr., 69, Pennsylvania Chapter 862, died February 27.

James Lloyd Lutz, 69, at-large Pennsylvania, died April 5, 2018.

Ronald Lynn Matlack, 77, at-large Oregon, died January 23. 

David L. McConagha, 77, Maryland Chapter 1091, died March 8.

Camden White McConnell, 77, Tennessee Chapter 240, died March 23.

Philip G. McDaniel, 68, at-large Oklahoma, died recently.

Lee S. McDonald, 72, New York Chapter 803, died February 24.

Thomas Edward McFadden, 69, Tennessee Chapter 1124, died March 8.

John L. McLeod, 80, Texas Chapter 278, died recently.

Cecil E. Meadows, 79, Hawaii Chapter 858, died March 19.

Ronald P. Melichar, 70, Wisconsin Chapter 448, died December 30, 2018.

John Riverra Menor, 86, North Carolina Chapter 1033, died March 25.

Mike Kazuji Miyagishima, 88, New Mexico Chapter 431, died March 2.

Chester S. Mohrhoff, 75, New Jersey Chapter 1002, died December 23, 2018.

Thomas Joseph Morgan, Sr., 72, Maryland Chapter 172, died February 7.

Larry E. Morris, 81, North Carolina Chapter 994, died recently.

Wayne L. Mortimer, 72, Wisconsin Chapter 448, died January 20.

Darcey Eugene Moser, Jr., 88, Florida Chapter 1059, died February 15. 

Daniel Melvin Mullenax, 78, West Virginia Chapter 1055, died February 15.

Lee Robert Mullins II, 72, West Virginia Chapter 949, died March 25.

Terry Millard Musser, 70, at-large Wisconsin, died November 1, 2018.

Michael C. Newman, 68, Minnesota Chapter 470, died December 17, 2018. 

George Albert Ogden, Jr., 71, West Virginia Chapter 306, died October 6, 2017. 

Dennis M. Pasiak, 72, New York Chapter 77, died March 15. 

James Thomas Patterson, 72, Tennessee Chapter 1112, died February 23.

Michael D. Piper, 72, California Chapter 1065, died March 17.

Nathaniel Prince, 71, Kentucky Chapter 454, died February 23.

Janice Irene Reed, 71, Minnesota Chapter 684, died February 4. 

Eric George Reimer, 71, New York Chapter 77, died February 18. 

Andrew N. Restivo, 73, New York Chapter 20, died February 23. 

Robert Edward Rice, 70, Kentucky Chapter 454, died September 5, 2015. 

Dewey Fred Riemer, 75, Minnesota Chapter 832, died August 23, 2018. 

Charles R. Riley, 73, Missouri Chapter 1119, died March 4.

Kate Roman, 68, Nevada Chapter 989, died recently.

John W. Roods, Jr., 67, Utah Chapter 1079, died December 31, 2018.  

John Shelly Ryals, Jr., 77, Massachusetts Chapter 837, died January 3.

George Victor Santino, 72, New Jersey Chapter 233, died January 21. 

James Edward Sawmiller, 77, Ohio Chapter 783, died February 10, 2018.

John W. Sawyer III, 75, Florida Chapter 1037, died May 6, 2018.

David Dolan Shannon, 66, Iowa Chapter 947, died June 5, 2012. 

Bernard Leroy Siefke, 73, Iowa Chapter 888, died March 5, 2018.

Simon Sierra, 74, Illinois Chapter 299, died February 5.

Gary A. Simonson, 72, Wisconsin Chapter 115, died February 19. 

Steven A. Skipchak, 72, at-large Wisconsin, died February 4. 

David Cameron Smith, 85, Oregon Chapter 757, died November 12, 2018.

John Earle Smith, 66, South Carolina Chapter 644, died March 14.

Kenneth Bayard Stanley, 80, West Virginia Chapter 1055, died February 19.

James Lawrence Stellmach, 74, Wisconsin Chapter 101, died February 24. 

Frederick H. Strubbe III, 82, Maryland Chapter 722, died February 11.

Thomas Roger Sullivan, Sr., 76, Missouri Chapter 1056, died February 22. 

Jonathan Edward Suttle, 72, Louisiana Chapter 1098, died March 6. 

James Earl Talbot, 75, Michigan Chapter 310, died February 27. 

Kevin R. Tegtmeier, 66, North Dakota Chapter 941, died April 25, 2018.

David Lien Theiss, 71, Iowa Chapter 790, died March 7. 

Cleo Levy Todd, Jr., 70, Tennessee Chapter 1004, died March 6. 

Ronnie L. Trice, 76, at-large Virginia, died recently.

Thomas W. Tucker, 81, Tennessee Chapter 953, died recently.

Eugene Louis Van Roy, 70, North Carolina Chapter 1094, died January 8.

Richard Clyde Vigus, 68, at-large Michigan, died January 17. 

Anthony (Vee) Villaggio, 72, Connecticut Chapter 120, died November 15, 2018. 

David L. Wells, 71, Tennessee Chapter 950, died February 27. 

William Wessel, 76, at-large Florida, died March 1, 2013.

Austin A. Wilcox, 70, New York Chapter 8, died March 10.

James Kenneth Williams, 74, Iowa Chapter 776, died March 20. 

Franklin J. Yearout, 73, Maryland Chapter 172, died January 17.

Robert Stephen Zakos, 74, Pennsylvania Chapter 415, died January 10, 2017.