Ray William Wayne Monger, 71 of Elkton, passed away on October 13, 2012 at his home surrounded by his family. Mr. Monger was born September 15, 1941, near Elkton, and was the son of the late Floyd Weaver and Virginia Alger Monger. Ray grew up in Elkton, was a member of Bethel United Church of Christ, and attended the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church for more than fifty years. He served our country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and retired from Merck & Company, where he worked for twenty-nine years. He was a member of the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company. On June 10, 1964, he married, Vivian Magalis Monger, who survives. Also surviving are Sons, Neil Monger & wife, Carla, Elkton, Mark Monger & wife, Pam, McGaheysville; a daughter, Rhonda Long & husband, Chip, Penn Laird; brothers, Gerald Monger & wife, Jerry, Phillip Monger & wife, Mary Jane, all of Elkton, Larry Monger & wife, Judy, Harrisonburg; sisters, Loyce Hensley, Janet Secrist & Eddie, all of Elkton, Linda Monger, McGaheysville, Wanda (Susie) Knicely & husband, Charlie, Dayton, Debbie Correa & husband, Joe, Weyers Cave, Vivian Michael & husband, Donnie, Madison; Grandchildren, Cori Monger, Laura Waldron & husband, Zach, Kyle Monger, Cole Monger, Grayson Long, Gannon Long; Step-grandchildren, Pvt. Jordan Lilly, U.S. Army,& wife, Jillian, Jordan Long, Logan Long; and one great-grandson, Henry Waldron; mother-in-law, Arliss Magalis.
In Memory: LtCol Edward L. Winton
Lieutenant Colonel Edward L. Winton, Combat Engineer, United States Army, passed this life on July 25, 2020, at the age of 83.
He was born in Coffee County to the late Yancey and Ada Winton. He will be interred on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 10 a.m. in the Alabama State Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort, Alabama, with full military honors.
Ed lived his life with love and a focus on others. He was well known for his generosity and selfless investments in the well-being of those around him. Ed was quick to tell a joke, lift a spirit, provide counsel to so many, and/or intercede with prayer. Ed was also beloved by every child he met. Ed’s life will leave a lasting impact on his family and friends.
He graduated from Tullahoma High School in 1956 and Auburn University in 1962 at which time he received his commission. He held a master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and was a graduate of The Command and General staff College and the Logistic portion of the National War College. Most of his service was in Europe and Southeast Asia (two assignments in Vietnam). He received many awards and decorations including the Bronze Star Medal for service as a Combat Engineer Company Commander in Vietnam. He served as an Associate Professor of Military Science on staff as Adjutant at North Georgia Military College. His last assignment was senior on-site professor for Command and General Staff College students enrolled in the United States Army Reserve School, Birmingham, Alabama. Lt. Col. Winton, as a civilian, served ten years as the Chief of Information Management for the Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and was a member of the local Chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers.
Lt. Col. Winton was a longtime member of the First Christian Church in Tullahoma and Azalea Hills Christian Church in Mobile, Ala. At the time of his death, was a member of The Woodlands Christian Church in The Woodlands, Texas. He was an active leader in the Boy Scouts of American which contributed to his sons becoming Eagle Scouts.
Next Reunion Scheduled for April 2023
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Date and Location for our 2023 Reunion has been set: Location: Branson, MO, Radisson Hotel Dates: Monday Evening, April 17 – Thursday morning, April 20, 2023 ───────────────────── |
| Roger and I spent quite a while searching for a different venue to hold another “reunion” next year. We attempted to find something in the Indiana and Ohio area for next October … but couldn’t find anything that worked or that wasn’t already booked. So, since we needed to be in Branson anyway in April, we decided to take another look at holding our next reunion there, and the Radisson can accommodate us during the 3rd week, which is perfect for us as it’s smack in the middle between two events for which we need to be back east anyway.
For anyone looking to travel via RV to the area, Musicland Campground (over behind the Titanic) is a short walk to the Radisson and we’ve already made our reservations to park our diesel coach there while we’re hosting the Reunion at the Radisson and for the week thereafter for another event. We’ll be arriving there on the 16th, the day before the 70th Engineer Reunion begins. Here’s what we’ve got set up thus far: Room Rates: Room rates will be $119.00 plus tax which works out to ~$135.00. Those rates are good for 3 days prior as well as 3 days after our event, just in case you want to spend some extra time in the area. We went conservative in setting up an initial room block for just 25 rooms each night. If need be, it looks like we shouldn’t have problems expanding that block at this point. Room reservations should be made directly with the Radisson-Branson and let them know you’re registering to attend the 70th Engineer Reunion when making your reservations. You need to make your reservations with the hotel directly, no later than March 17, 2023. MEALS: Included with your room reservation will be, tickets for Hot Breakfasts each morning. We’re looking to “plan” only one meal this time, a banquet on Wednesday evening to keep registration costs down. As at past reunions, we’re planning a “buffet” style banquet meal that will include:
That should keep registration fees on the order of $65/person (as we’ll need to pay for the meal and the banquet room set up). We haven’t planned any formal activity for Tuesday evening, opting instead to leave that open for folks to check out a show or just enjoy what’s available about town, individually or as groups. As we get closer to the Reunion, we’ll contact the Chamber of Commerce to see what shows might be playing that week and let you know once we have that info. This will be the 4th reunion we’ve held in Branson … which always has our largest attendance numbers. We’re hoping those attendance numbers will hold true as we’ve missed seeing you guys and we’re looking forward to sharing some good times with you again. We’ll be sending out the registration form in early January 2023 and will need to receive those back by March 15th to be able to confirm the number of “meals” with the Radisson ─────────────── |
May They Rest in Peace
Each time it’s been a while since sending out an email announcement to folks for whom we have email addresses, I dread looking through the “bounces” (emails that weren’t deliverable). Sometimes it just means inboxes are full or that someone has changed their internet provider (or dumped the internet altogether). But, other times, it means someone is no longer with us. This time, we had 35 bounces and as I did a search for obituaries for each of those 35 names, I sadly found 10 who are no longer with us:
.. Joseph Bollig … HQ Co 1969 … 02/26/21 .. Delbert J Brown … A Co 1969 … 08/30/21 .. George Burnley … Austria … 08/27/19 .. Leroy Edward Clayton … B Co … 04/08/16 .. Leonard Culliver … B Co … 03/02/14 .. William E Dwelly … HQ Co … 04/22/21 .. Jay Henry Greener … HQ Co 68-69 … 01/20/20 .. Gerry Lee ‘Jerry” Hajduk … A Co 1969 … 04/23/20 .. Daniel Parnell … A Co 1969 … 05/12/21 .. William Lee Sutherland … D Co 68-69 … 03/17/21If you’ve changed your email address in the past few years or would like to receive email announcements related to our upcoming reunion. Please enter your name and email address in the “Subscribe to Our Newsletter” fields in the right-hand column and click “submit.”
In Memory: Jerry Arnold White
| JERRY ARNOLD WHITE
09/06/1935 — 07/01/2022
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Jerry Arnold White was born on September 6th, 1935 to Earl W. White, a coal miner, and Marjorie Lee Copeland in Winifrede, West Virginia. Jerry transitioned to his heavenly home on July 1, 2022 at the age of 86 with his beautiful and loving wife Clairetta Payne-White and her daughters by his side. Jerry and Clairetta resided at Richland, Washington where they lived for 11 years filled with lots of love, happiness, laughter, and enjoyed family time and just being together.
On July 22, 2011 Jerry married Clairetta (Duncan) Payne. Jerry referred to Clairetta as “the love of his life and his soul mate”. He quickly became a part of Clairetta’s large, loud and extended family. Jerry is survived by his wife Clairetta Payne-White. He is also survived by his children: Cheryl Reinig (Larry); Mary J Suire (Bryon); Katrina Goff (Jay); Brittney Tussey (Kenny); Sharon Hazel (Joe); Sisters: Shirley Layton, Ruby White, Sandra Crocket; Brother Joe White (Elinor). |
He also leaves behind his extended family which included Clairetta’s six children: Carla Ehlis (Jeff); Karen Payne (Munchkin); Theresa Beehler (Steve); Jim Payne (Jaye); Joe Payne (MaryAnn); and Mary Jones. Jerry was blessed with many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Jerry will be missed by Clairetta’s sister and brother-in-law, Shirley and Jack Parker. When Clairetta was visiting in Missouri, Shirley and Jack arranged a blind date to introduce them. It was the start of something big. Jerry moved west to Washington State to be with his bride.
Jerry is preceded in death by his father Earl W. White, mother Marjorie Lee (Copeland) White, daughter Beverly Ann White, great-grandson Kyrese Anderson, brothers: Earl Junior, William, Richard, Everett (aka Jack), Robert, Johnny, Gary, James, and Larry and sisters Mary and Betty. He was also preceded in death by his first wife, JoAnn Wilson; with whom he had 4 daughters.
A Memory Maker: Jerry loved his family staying in close contact with his siblings enjoying many road trips to include camping trips back home to West Virginia to visit family throughout the years. His daughter Sharon said she fondly remembers their trips, adventures, storytelling, dancing and all the songs they sung. She will cherish the memories and the lessons he taught her. He was very intentional in creating memories. He always took time to include his young children in projects allowing them to join the fun, like painting the white picket fence each year. Jerry would do anything he could to help his family. He loved each of his children, bonus children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He found great love and happiness when he met and married Clairetta Payne-White.
The Soldier – Jerry was a military man through and through. He served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He wanted to join the Navy but was too young, so he begged his mom, and she signed a waiver for him to enlist. He retired as a Sergeant First Class with 26 years of combined service in the Navy and Army. He was a combat engineer and a proud soldier in the 70th Engineer Battalion. Jerry may have retired but his army pride and love of country never did.
The Comedian and the Carpenter – Jerry was funny and loved to tell jokes; he crafted them with perfect timing. When he delivered the punchline, he would laugh his infectious laugh bringing joy to all who heard it with a smile and twinkle in his eyes. Jerry could make, repair, revise, or repurpose anything. He recycled his whole life taking useful things, cleaning them up, and giving them to people in need. He and Clairetta were regulars at the local thrift stores where they would find delightful treasures.
Jerry was so generous and kind he once let a family live rent free in a doublewide he owned. At a thrift store, he overheard a mother trying to find inexpensive sleeping bags. He told her to just stay there, went home and loaded his truck with sleeping bags and anything else he could find. Kindness to strangers were perfectly normal to Jerry and Clairetta. People were a stranger one day and a friend the next.
Jerry’s motto was “Life is Good” and he always tried to live that way.
In Memory: Clentis Turbow
Clentis Turnbow, 76, of Cordova, TN, formerly of Hickman went to be with his Heavenly Father on October 21, 2020.
He had been a 911 dispatcher for the City of Hickman for twenty years. Clentis was a US Army veteran of the Vietnam War in which he served two tours of duty and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy to further serve his country. While in the Army from 1966-67, he served in headquarters company with us. If you’re a member of “Together We Served” you can read about his full service here.
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In Memory: Harold Walter Aleshire
Harold Walter Aleshire, 73, of Delaware passed away Tuesday morning, November 9, 2021 at his residence surrounded by his loving family.
He was born August 24, 1948 in Delaware to the late Harley and Jessie (Matlack) Aleshire. He proudly served his country as a member of the United States Army during the Vietnam War earning a purple heart and 3 bronze stars.
Harold worked as a traffic technician for the City of Delaware and he was a lifetime member of the AmVets Post #102 and the American Legion. He was also a member of the Delaware Eagles #376. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed fishing, classic cars, baseball and OSU football.
Left to cherish his memory are his children, Cindy (Marcus) Deemer of Marion, Harold Aleshire of Marion, Christy (Vince) Lavette of Marion, Chad (Kim) Aleshire of Prospect, and Tammy Aleshire of Columbus; 11 grandchildren and 13 greatgrandchildren; brothers, Robert (Caroll) Aleshire of Medina, Gene (Laura) Aleshire of Texas and Richard (Debbie) Aleshire of Delaware; several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, Harold was preceded in death by his grandchildren Lyndsay Clever and twins William and Zachary.
In Memory: William D’Amicis Florez
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William D’Amicis Florez
August 1947 – 10/14/2077 In Country: 1968-69 Affiliation: HQ Co and B Co |
Planning is underway to get together again …
Now that COVID is easing up, Roger and Vickie Rock have started planning for the Battalion’s next reunion. They’re looking at a different place where we’ve not congregated before, the Rising Star Casino and RV Park located just SW of Cincinnati, Ohio airport in southern Indiana. It offers both rooms AND RV sites to accommodate your stay all on the same property. Thus, if any of you have become full-time RVer’s, you’ll be able to park your RV in a full-service site and mingle with all the others who book rooms in their hotel facilities.
While we cannot yet confirm the dates for the reunion (we can’t do that until Sept. 2022), we can say we’re looking at dates during the last two weeks of September 2023, and most likely Tuesday through Thursday dates. The change from weekend dates to middle-of-the-week dates is two-fold.
- A lot of us are retired and no longer “working” those middle of the week days, and
- Both airline fares AND room rates are considerably less expensive for middle-of-the-week dates than what we would incur on Friday-Sunday dates.
Now that we’re all pretty much working with fixed, retirement incomes, we figured a more budget-friendly set of dates might work better.
This reunion, like the others that Roger and Vickie have hosted, welcomes ALL who served in the 70th Engineer Battalion, regardless of the company in which you served or the timeframe in which you served.
We sent emails to those for whom we have email addresses this week. If you didn’t get one, that means that we don’t have a working email address on file. Thus, you might want to get hold of Roger and give him your updated email address to ensure you get updates on what we’re planning. Also, let us know if you’re interested in coming to the next reunion so we have a good idea for setting room blocks and food arrangements, and if there is something in particular you’d like to see incorporated in an agenda.
You can contact Roger via email at 70engrs@gmail.com .
In Memory: Richard Burch and Benjamin (Ben) Calloni
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| Richard A Burch | Benjamin P Calloni |
We sent out emails this week announcing that we were beginning to plan for another Battalion reunion this week and got two sad emails back in return from relatives of two of our members. Both were members of “D” Company while in Vietnam, and both have been attendees at previous reunions with whom you may have shared stories. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their family members and anyone Engineer who may have been close to them throughout the years. We will miss their happy faces at this next reunion. You can click the link under their pictures to read through their obituaries.