DIED ON THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH
24 years old at death
Son of William R. & Lillian D. (Mathis) Carr. He was their eldest child. Brother to Lillian Florence, Estelle Mary, Atheldia Willadene & Wayne Robert.
His father William R. was a farmer, and William had spent most of his life helping his father on the farm. Rather than complete high school, he got a job as a car mechanic to help the family pay bills. He only spent a year in high school total.
With the conflict overseas becoming bigger, and the pay in the military better than what he was making, William decided to join up, and enlisted on Sept. 24,1940 (over a full year before Pearl Harbor) in the Army Air Corps at the rank of Pvt. He was 22 years old. He died just 1 year and 6 months later.
Grandson of Ella Carr-Bailey. Step-Grandson of William E. Bailey Jr. Nephew of John H. Carr & Oran Carr (who died at 9years of age).
2 of his nephews were named in his honor; Johnny Mural Rowe (son of William's sister Estelle, b.1945) & Lester Mural Carr 1956-1977 (son of William's brother Wayne)
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Following Information provided by Kameron Amanda;
"in Sept 1948 the Army notified his parents that they were planning to return his body to Texas, and in Oct of that year he was returned and buried with the local VFW handling it."
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Obit provided by Judy Murphy
The following obit taken from Gipson Funeral Home records dated October 13, 1948:
The body of T/4 William Merle Carr, who died in Camp Odonell, Phillipine Islands on May 14, 1942, 5 days after he made his DEATH MARCH, will arrive in Lufkin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, October 16, 1948.
T/4 Carr was born April 30, 1918 in Paducah, Texas and was 24 years of age at the time of his death. He enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1940 with the 34th Pursuit Squadron. He was a member of the Methodist church.
The funeral services are to be held at Mt. Hope Chapel, Wells, Texas with Rev. Don Box officiating. Interment will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery with VFW Post of Lufkin in charge of services at the grave. The hour of the service pending the arrival his brother from Panama.
Survivors include ..
Parents: Mr. & Mrs. William R. Carr
Brother: Wayne Carr, U. S. Army - Panama
Sisters: Mrs. Florence Bailey, Mrs. Estelle Rowe, Mrs. Willa Dean Ferguson and Mrs. Norma Dale Gurganus
Grandparents: Mrs. Ella Bailey and Mr. & Mrs. H. J. Mathis
Pallbearers: Delbert Jones, Thelm Sessions, Howard Carr, Floyd Carr, Dafford Stewart and Robert Arthur Dew
24 years old at death
Son of William R. & Lillian D. (Mathis) Carr. He was their eldest child. Brother to Lillian Florence, Estelle Mary, Atheldia Willadene & Wayne Robert.
His father William R. was a farmer, and William had spent most of his life helping his father on the farm. Rather than complete high school, he got a job as a car mechanic to help the family pay bills. He only spent a year in high school total.
With the conflict overseas becoming bigger, and the pay in the military better than what he was making, William decided to join up, and enlisted on Sept. 24,1940 (over a full year before Pearl Harbor) in the Army Air Corps at the rank of Pvt. He was 22 years old. He died just 1 year and 6 months later.
Grandson of Ella Carr-Bailey. Step-Grandson of William E. Bailey Jr. Nephew of John H. Carr & Oran Carr (who died at 9years of age).
2 of his nephews were named in his honor; Johnny Mural Rowe (son of William's sister Estelle, b.1945) & Lester Mural Carr 1956-1977 (son of William's brother Wayne)
------------------
Following Information provided by Kameron Amanda;
"in Sept 1948 the Army notified his parents that they were planning to return his body to Texas, and in Oct of that year he was returned and buried with the local VFW handling it."
------------------------------
Obit provided by Judy Murphy
The following obit taken from Gipson Funeral Home records dated October 13, 1948:
The body of T/4 William Merle Carr, who died in Camp Odonell, Phillipine Islands on May 14, 1942, 5 days after he made his DEATH MARCH, will arrive in Lufkin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, October 16, 1948.
T/4 Carr was born April 30, 1918 in Paducah, Texas and was 24 years of age at the time of his death. He enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1940 with the 34th Pursuit Squadron. He was a member of the Methodist church.
The funeral services are to be held at Mt. Hope Chapel, Wells, Texas with Rev. Don Box officiating. Interment will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery with VFW Post of Lufkin in charge of services at the grave. The hour of the service pending the arrival his brother from Panama.
Survivors include ..
Parents: Mr. & Mrs. William R. Carr
Brother: Wayne Carr, U. S. Army - Panama
Sisters: Mrs. Florence Bailey, Mrs. Estelle Rowe, Mrs. Willa Dean Ferguson and Mrs. Norma Dale Gurganus
Grandparents: Mrs. Ella Bailey and Mr. & Mrs. H. J. Mathis
Pallbearers: Delbert Jones, Thelm Sessions, Howard Carr, Floyd Carr, Dafford Stewart and Robert Arthur Dew
DIED ON THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH
24 years old at death
Son of William R. & Lillian D. (Mathis) Carr. He was their eldest child. Brother to Lillian Florence, Estelle Mary, Atheldia Willadene & Wayne Robert.
His father William R. was a farmer, and William had spent most of his life helping his father on the farm. Rather than complete high school, he got a job as a car mechanic to help the family pay bills. He only spent a year in high school total.
With the conflict overseas becoming bigger, and the pay in the military better than what he was making, William decided to join up, and enlisted on Sept. 24,1940 (over a full year before Pearl Harbor) in the Army Air Corps at the rank of Pvt. He was 22 years old. He died just 1 year and 6 months later.
Grandson of Ella Carr-Bailey. Step-Grandson of William E. Bailey Jr. Nephew of John H. Carr & Oran Carr (who died at 9years of age).
2 of his nephews were named in his honor; Johnny Mural Rowe (son of William's sister Estelle, b.1945) & Lester Mural Carr 1956-1977 (son of William's brother Wayne)
------------------
Following Information provided by Kameron Amanda;
"in Sept 1948 the Army notified his parents that they were planning to return his body to Texas, and in Oct of that year he was returned and buried with the local VFW handling it."
------------------------------
Obit provided by Judy Murphy
The following obit taken from Gipson Funeral Home records dated October 13, 1948:
The body of T/4 William Merle Carr, who died in Camp Odonell, Phillipine Islands on May 14, 1942, 5 days after he made his DEATH MARCH, will arrive in Lufkin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, October 16, 1948.
T/4 Carr was born April 30, 1918 in Paducah, Texas and was 24 years of age at the time of his death. He enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1940 with the 34th Pursuit Squadron. He was a member of the Methodist church.
The funeral services are to be held at Mt. Hope Chapel, Wells, Texas with Rev. Don Box officiating. Interment will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery with VFW Post of Lufkin in charge of services at the grave. The hour of the service pending the arrival his brother from Panama.
Survivors include ..
Parents: Mr. & Mrs. William R. Carr
Brother: Wayne Carr, U. S. Army - Panama
Sisters: Mrs. Florence Bailey, Mrs. Estelle Rowe, Mrs. Willa Dean Ferguson and Mrs. Norma Dale Gurganus
Grandparents: Mrs. Ella Bailey and Mr. & Mrs. H. J. Mathis
Pallbearers: Delbert Jones, Thelm Sessions, Howard Carr, Floyd Carr, Dafford Stewart and Robert Arthur Dew
24 years old at death
Son of William R. & Lillian D. (Mathis) Carr. He was their eldest child. Brother to Lillian Florence, Estelle Mary, Atheldia Willadene & Wayne Robert.
His father William R. was a farmer, and William had spent most of his life helping his father on the farm. Rather than complete high school, he got a job as a car mechanic to help the family pay bills. He only spent a year in high school total.
With the conflict overseas becoming bigger, and the pay in the military better than what he was making, William decided to join up, and enlisted on Sept. 24,1940 (over a full year before Pearl Harbor) in the Army Air Corps at the rank of Pvt. He was 22 years old. He died just 1 year and 6 months later.
Grandson of Ella Carr-Bailey. Step-Grandson of William E. Bailey Jr. Nephew of John H. Carr & Oran Carr (who died at 9years of age).
2 of his nephews were named in his honor; Johnny Mural Rowe (son of William's sister Estelle, b.1945) & Lester Mural Carr 1956-1977 (son of William's brother Wayne)
------------------
Following Information provided by Kameron Amanda;
"in Sept 1948 the Army notified his parents that they were planning to return his body to Texas, and in Oct of that year he was returned and buried with the local VFW handling it."
------------------------------
Obit provided by Judy Murphy
The following obit taken from Gipson Funeral Home records dated October 13, 1948:
The body of T/4 William Merle Carr, who died in Camp Odonell, Phillipine Islands on May 14, 1942, 5 days after he made his DEATH MARCH, will arrive in Lufkin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, October 16, 1948.
T/4 Carr was born April 30, 1918 in Paducah, Texas and was 24 years of age at the time of his death. He enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1940 with the 34th Pursuit Squadron. He was a member of the Methodist church.
The funeral services are to be held at Mt. Hope Chapel, Wells, Texas with Rev. Don Box officiating. Interment will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery with VFW Post of Lufkin in charge of services at the grave. The hour of the service pending the arrival his brother from Panama.
Survivors include ..
Parents: Mr. & Mrs. William R. Carr
Brother: Wayne Carr, U. S. Army - Panama
Sisters: Mrs. Florence Bailey, Mrs. Estelle Rowe, Mrs. Willa Dean Ferguson and Mrs. Norma Dale Gurganus
Grandparents: Mrs. Ella Bailey and Mr. & Mrs. H. J. Mathis
Pallbearers: Delbert Jones, Thelm Sessions, Howard Carr, Floyd Carr, Dafford Stewart and Robert Arthur Dew
