PFC Edward O. Degner
1921 – 1980
USAR
WWII
Edward Owen Degner was born July 14, 1921 in Libertyville, to Stanley W. and Lily Yeddo Wegner.
Degner entered U.S. Army service for World War II on October 23, 1942 and served in the Pacific Theater as an Infantryman in the 160th Infantry. He trained for jungle warfare in Hawaii, then shipped off to participate in campaigns in New Guinea, and the Japanese-held Philippine Islands. He was honorably discharged as a Private First Class on September 16, 1945.
He married Ruth Beck on June 14, 1947; they raised seven children.
Degner became a real estate broker, active in the Lake Zurich and Barrington communities for more than 30 years.
He was active in the secular leadership of St. Anne’s school
Private First Class Edward Degner died at Sherman Hospital in Elgin on April 19, 1980, and is buried in Barrington’s Evergreen Cemetery.
The wartime experience of PFC Degner, as described in his personal correspondence and mementos may be found at: https://balibrary.org/files/degnernarrative.pdf and https://balibrary.org/local-history/2192-edeg
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Remember. Honor. Teach.
Courtesy of Signal Hill Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.