World War II
Private Clyde A. Major, Jr.
Private First Class Emory G. Spencer
Private First Class Emory G. Spencer
Clyde A. Major, Jr.
Died May 9th, 1944
Section 19 Lot 29 Grave 3
Private Clyde A. Major was inducted into the Army in August of 1943 and was stationed in Biak, New Guinea in April of 1944. Biak, at the time, was occupied by the Japanese Army who constructed three runways on the south coast. During early 1944, the Japanese began strengthening their defensive positions on Biak in anticipation of an American landing at this location. In late April 1944, after the U.S. Army occupation of the area, engineers discovered the soil in the area was too soft for heavy bomber operations and Biak Island was targeted for the coral surfaced runways and deemed better for U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) operations. Starting in late April 1944, Biak was targeted by American bombers and fighters. Clyde Major was killed on May 9th, 1944. He was only 18 years old.
Private First Class Emory G. Spencer
Private First Class Emory G. Spencer
Private First Class Emory G. Spencer
PFC Emory G. Spencer
Died May 9th, 1945
Section 18 Lot 11 Grave 2
NEW YORK 299th ENGR COMBAT BN WORLD WAR II PH
PFC Emory G. Spencer died in Germany while serving in the U.S. Army during World War 2.
The following article was published on the front page of the Lockport Union Sun and Journal on Monday June 4, 1945:
LOCKPORT FLIER DIES IN REICH
Serving in the 299th Engineer Division of the 1st Army, PFC Emory G. Spencer, 36, died in Zolling Germany on May 5, 1945 according to a War Department telegram received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Spencer, 365 Hawley Street. PFC Spencer who entered the service in October 1942 received his training at Camp McCoy, Wis., Camp White, Ore., and Fort Pierce, Fla. Leaving for overseas duty in April 1944, Private Spencer participated in the Normandy Invasion, Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in Germany on Feb. 23, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Good Conduct Ribbon, and the Expert Rifleman's Badge. PFC Spencer attended Lockport High School and was employed by the Simond's Saw and Steel Company. Besides his parents, he is survived by a sister, Ellen Haines, North Tonawanda, two brothers, Harold Spencer, 171 Ontario Street and Gerald Spencer at home. PFC Spencer's remains were shipped back to the United States and were interred at Glenwood Cemetery in 1948.
The following article was published in the Lockport Union Sun and Journal on Thursday December 9, 1948:
"SPENCER—Pfc. Emory G. Spencer passed away on May 9, 1945, at Zolling, Germany. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Spencer, one sister and two brothers, Mrs. LeRoy Hains, of North Tonawanda, Harold and Gerald Spencer, of Lockport. The remains will be at Taylor and Reynolds Funeral Home, Niagara at North Transit Street, after 8 o'clock Thursday evening, and funeral services will be held at 2:30 o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Interment will be in Glenwood Cemetery."
SSGT Allan N. Geier
Private First Class Merle F. Niethe
Private First Class Merle F. Niethe
SSGT Allan N. Geier
Died April 22nd, 1945
Section 8 Lot 162-164 Grave 13
Staff Sergeant Geier was killed in Okinawa. He entered the service in February or 1941 and served in Hawaii for two years. He was 28 at the time of his death
Private First Class Merle F. Niethe
Private First Class Merle F. Niethe
Private First Class Merle F. Niethe
Merle Frederick “Bud” Niethe
(1925-2012)
Section 24 Lot 12 Grave 6
Merle Niethe was born in the City of Lockport on January 21, 1925, the first son of Fred and Margaret Nolan Niethe. He and his brothers were raised on Phelps Street and they attended Lockport schools. One of his first jobs was delivering telegrams (on bicycle) for the Western Union in the months leading up to World War 2. He reminisced that he stopped home on a lunch break while delivering telegrams to find his parents listening to radio reports that the Japanese had just attacked Pearl Harbor. He entered the U.S. Army in 1943 and started training at the Tank Destroyer Training Center at Camp Hood Texas. His outfit, the 321st Infantry Regiment was part of the 81st Infantry Division (the "Wildcats"). He was shipped to Hawaii, then to the South Pacific. He was engaged in the battles at Anguar and Peleliu islands where his unit fought alongside the !st Marine Division. His unit later took part in the liberation of the Philippines. He was highly decorated, being authorized to where the Combat Infantry Badge, Philippine Liberation Campaign Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon with two battle stars, Bronze Star Medal, the Good Conduct and Victory Ribbons. When the war ended in the Pacific he was shipped to Japan where he served as a Military Policeman during the American occupation. He always had the highest respect for good military leaders, even the Japanese soldiers he had fought against. After his discharge from the army he returned home and graduated from Lockport High School. He married Betty Bowler in 1948 and had four children with her. Betty predeceased him in 1979. He later married Martha Webster Smith, the widow of Donald Smith. Martha predeceased him in 2003. He worked at Harrison Radiator, retiring after 25 years. He was an active member of Lockport Alliance Church, and he supported the ministry of Delta Lake Bible Conference Center in Rome New York. He was a true believer and never hesitated to tell others about the Lord. He stayed in touch with other members of the Wildcat Division and attended many of their reunions. He came from an Army family. His father served as a Military Policeman in World War 1, and his brothers, Robert and Norman both served honorably in the Army. He passed away in 2012 and was buried next to his first wife in Glenwood Cemetery.