Harold Eugene Eby, 82, Sergeant Major US Army, (ret.), of Mount Joy passed away on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington D.C.
Born in Marysville, he was the son of the late Raymond G. Eby and Mildred Miller Eby and Katie Zink Eby, his stepmother.
Harold graduated from the former Mount Joy High School in 1945 and enlisted with U.S. Army where he joined the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. After completing his basic training and parachute training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was sent to Germany with the 508th Parachute Infantry Division and served with General
Eisenhower's Honor Guard.
Upon deactivation of the 508th, he served with the 82nd Airborne Division as part the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
When discharged from active duty, Harold attended Elizabethtown College. He later re-enlisted in the Army, serving time in both Korea and Vietnam. After 21 years of active service in the U.S. Army, and achieving the rank of Sergeant Major, he retired from the service.
After his military retirement he served as an R.O.T.C. instructor for twenty years at Wooster High School in East Liverpool, Ohio and the Indianapolis Public High Schools, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Following his employment, Harold moved back to Mount Joy to enjoy his retirement. During his retirement, Harold enjoyed deer hunting in both Indiana and Pennsylvania with his friends, attending the Mardi Gras in New Orleans every year where he ate beignets at the Cafe Du Monde, sending pralines from Aunt Sallies and King Cakes from Haydels Bakery to his friends and family.
Some of his favorite times were spent celebrating the Mount Joy
Memorial Day |
Parade and visiting his friends for coffee and food in Mount Joy at the Higher Grounds Cafe, Mount Joy Family Restaurant and Guss Keystone Restaurant.
A proud veteran, he was a 62 year member of the American Legion Post 185, Mount Joy, a Lifetime Member of the VFW Post 5752, Mount Joy, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and the Disabled Veterans of America He was also a member of the Milton Grove Sportsman Club.
During his lifetime he earned a commercial pilots license and flew personal planes.
He is survived by his aunt, Mrs. Elva Fry of Fort Myers, Florida and cousins Vera Albert, Mount Joy, Shirley Forney, Dallas, Shirley Camley, North Fort Myers, Florida, Brenda Cropf, New Cumberland, Valeria Heikes,
Mechanicsburg, Elwood Miller, Enola, Lester Miller, Jr., Ronald Miller and Mildred Snyder all of Marysville. Also surviving are two special lifetime friends, Mary Adams of Maurepas, Louisiana and Deb Adams of New Orleans, Louisiana.
A Memorial Service honoring Harold's life will be held at the Sheetz Funeral Home, Inc., 16 East Main Street, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania on October 23, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Harold's family will greet visitors and guests at 2:30 p.m.
Inurnment with full Military Honors will be held April 2, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. in Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington, Virginia.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Mount Joy Memorial Day Parade Inc., P. O. Box 67, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania 17552 or to the Armed Forces Retirement Home-Residents Fund, 3700 N. Capitol St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20011-8400.
[Intelligencer Journal and Lancaster New Era, Lancaster, PA, 16 Oct 2009, Fri, Page 16] |
[courtesy of Anne Cady]
Columbarium marker for Harold E. Eby in Court 7,
Section C, Column 17, Niche 4 Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington
(Arlington county), Virginia.
Harold registered for the draft in Mt. Joy, PA on 31
May 1945 and was inducted into the Army on 15 August 1945 at Indiantown
Gap Military Reservation, PA..
Pvt Eby was transferred to the 508th PIR
in March 1946 and served with the regiment until it was deactivated in
November 1946.
On 10 April 1947, he was discharged at Fort Bragg, NC. However, he
re-enlisted on 1 March 1950
 Harold
returned to Germany at least once as on 8 July 1954, SFC Eby arrived at
Westover AFB, MA on a MATS flight from Landstuhl, Germany.
Harold remained in the Army and served through 31
August 1969 when he retired as a Command Sergeant Major..
Harold submitted this application for the Pennsylvania
WWII Veterans Bonus.
Unfortunately his period of service was found to have
occurred largely outside the date requirements and he was denied a
bonus.
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