Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Eckardt, Herman Julius 1921 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net November 20, 2018, 3:53 pm Lake Odessa Wave Times, 10 Jun 1921 Elaborate Military Funeral Held for Fallen Heroes Last Rites for Lieut. H.J. Eckardt and Private Laverne Demaray Conducted by Local American Legion Large Crowd. Burial at Cemetery with Military Honors. The largest funeral ever held in Lake Odessa was held in the City Park last Sunday over the remains of Lieut. Herman Eckardt of Woodland township and LaVerne Demaray of Lake Odessa. Both of these hero boys were victims of the World War, dying in France while in active service. Lieut. Eckardt died from wounds received probably when in trench warfare and LaVerne died from pneumonia contracted at the front. A large crowd gathered at the station Thursday evening to await the incoming 8 o’clock train, which was bringing the bodies of our sacrificed boys home to their friends for the last time. When the train pulled in the rough boxes were seen draped with the American colors. They were accompanied by a government escort of the regular army stationed at Camp Merritt, N.J., and were received by the local American Legion in uniform. The bodies were placed in Weed’s morgue, under fully armed guard, where they rested until the funeral Sunday. Early Sunday morning hundreds of cars began arriving and by 2:00 p.m. the village was crowded by friends, relatives and neighbors. The burial ceremonies were conducted by the American Legion and many service men of this vicinity, including Woodland, Woodbury, Clarksville and Ionia were present. The presence and bearing of these soldiers made a deep impression upon the crowd, as they stood as the protectors of American people and American principles. The Boy Scout Band led the procession as the funeral cortege entered the park and with their music lent solemnity to the occasion. The funeral eulogy was read by Commander Ervin Howard and Chaplain Alva Tingley gave the prayer. Rev. Volker of the Evangelical church of Woodland gave a splendid address as the pastor of Herman Eckardt’s family and read the obituary. Rev. A.H. Lash of the Congregational church read the obituary of LaVerne Demaray and gave comforting words to the sorrowing family. Six ex-service men, former companions of Herman Eckardt – John Miller, Lawrence Faul, Arthur Statsick, Maurice LeGeest, Carl Neithamer and Raymond Smith acted as pall bearers for the Eckardt casket. The pall bearers for LaVerne Demaray were Fay Armour, Harold Ritter, Forrest Ritter, Herbert Lake, Claud Cave and Aubrey Davis. The wonderful floral offerings and the thousands who were present were a silent and impressive tribute to the boys who made the supreme sacrifice. At the cemetery the ceremonies were similar at each grace, with the respective ministers as mentioned above pronouncing the benedictions. The caskets were carried to their respective graves under escort of their comrades and the Scouts played a dirge, which was followed by a short prayer by Chaplain Tingley, and the benediction. The colors were raised from the casket as it was lowered. An honor salute was then given by a firing squad and the last taps sounded over the grave as a final tribute of respect to these departed heroes. Herman J. Eckardt First Lieut. Herman Julius Eckardt, youngest son of Wm. G. and Elizabeth Eckardt of Sunfield was born in Sunfield township on March 24, 1888, and died of wounds received while in service with the A.E.F. in France on June 10, 1918. Aged 30 years, 2 months and 16 days. His boy-hood days were spent on the farm of his parents 1 ˝ miles south of Woodbury. Herman was a self-made man, his father having died while he was very young, he went out to make his way in the world early in life. At the age of 19 he enlisted in the regular army at Detroit and served his country for 11 ˝ years. His experiences covered services in the Philippines, and various parts of this country. He was with Gen. Pershing on the pe?itive? expedition, which penetrated 750 miles into Mexico in pursuit of Vilia. When the U.S. entered the war he was stationed at ElPaso, Texas, going from ElPaso to Chicamauga Park, Ga., and then to Syracuse, N.Y. and in August, for the first time in 10 years he was permitted to visit his relatives and friends for a few days. He stated he had always been able to be at his post and expressed an enthusiastic desire to serve his country in the great World War, and left his friends full of hope that he should return after it was finished. At the beginning of the war he was commissioned 2nd Lieut. of Co. E. 23rd Infantry. On September 5th his company left Syracuse for Hoboken, New Jersey, from which port they sailed for France, arriving in the harbor on the 18th of September 1917. He was then sent to the officers’ training school and by faithful study was promoted to 1st Lieut., on Jan. 15, 1918. Very little is known of Lieut. Eckardt’s experience at the front, but in a letter dated April 18, 1918, he wrote that for a month previous, that his company under the 2nd division, had been in the trenches and were experiencing some severe fighting. On May 11th, 1918, he was sent to Camp Hospital No. 1, and on the 18th was transferred to base hospital No. 117 and later to Headquarters base hospital No. 68 where the end came. His kind and jolly nature won him many friends, by whom he is greatly missed. He leaves to mourn his departure his mother, two brothers, one sister and many other relatives and friends. 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