Barber County Kansas
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Barber County Kansas |
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Death claimed a Medicine Lodge woman member of the armed forces of the United States last Wednesday when Pvt. Marian McShea, 25, WAC and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Royal McShea, died at Rosecrans Field, St. Joseph, Mo., of complications following an attack of pneumonia.Pvt. McShea enlisted in the Women's Army Corps on May 17, 1944. She received her basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and was later transferred to Rosecrans Field. She has a brother, Pvt. Royal McShea, Jr., of the Army Air Corps, who is stationed in England.
The young Wac was buried here Saturday morning with full military honors. Services were held in the Methodist church with Rev. M. C. Brooks officiating. The body of Pvt. McShea was accompanied here by a fellow member of the Women's Army Corps. The commanding officer and seven other WAC's of Rosecrans Field were here for the services and served as honorary pall bearers. The firing squad was composed of soldiers from the Pratt Army Air Base. Three Medicine Lodge members of the armed forces home on furlough acted as the color guard. They were Seamen Vernon Hart and Wm. McKaig of the United States Navy and Cpl. Thomas Warren, U. S. Army.
Impressive services were held at Highland cemetery where a member of the WAC's removed the American flag from the casket and presented it to the father of Pvt. McShea. The salute was then given by the firing squad and "Taps" was sounded by the Pratt Air Base bugler. An Army bomber circling overhead added to the military atmosphere of the services.
Pvt. McShea was born on July 14, 1919, at Pana, Illinois. A part of her childhood was spent in the home of her great aunt, Miss Cora Leeper at Owaneco, Ill., where she received most of her grade and junior high school education.
In 1934, Marian with her brother, Royal, Jr., and her sister, Margaret, moved with their parents to Medicine Lodge where she completed her high school education, graduating from the Medicine Lodge high school with the class of 1936.
During these years she took an active part in the Camp Fire Girls Organization. In high school she was a member of the glee club, the debating society and was a member of the high school band.
She was prominent in the young people's activities of the Methodist Church of which she was a member. She was a member of the church choir and also served as pianist and teacher in the primary departments of the Sunday school she continued her education at Northwestern College, Alva, Okla., and Kansas University at Lawrence.
Marion possessed a loving, loyal and amiable disposition which endeared her in the hearts of her many friends and acquaintances. Her tender feeling and consideration for the aged and unfortunate was an outstanding characteristic of her personality.
In addition to her parents and her brother, she is survived by one sister, Mrs. Margaret Pate of Wichita.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!
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