1925
Vernard
2011
Vernard Leroy Brintzenhofe
March 12, 1925 — April 12, 2011
Vernard Leroy "Vern" Brintzenhofe, 86, of Hagerstown, passed away Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at his home.
Born March 12, 1925, in Struthers, Ohio, he was the son of the late Homer and Christine (Gallugher) Brintzenhofe.
He was a member of the Beaver Creek Christian Church, where he served as a deacon.
He joined the Marines in 1942. After basic training at Paris Island, S.C., he was assigned to the 1st Aviation Engineers, Fleet Marine Force. From San Diego, Calif., he was shipped to Samoa and New Caledonia to construct airfields. He landed on Guadalcanal and survived the second Coral Sea battle aboard ship. He survived numerous air raids while helping to construct Henderson Airfield and four other fighter landing strips. Recurring malaria forced his evacuation to Mobile Hospital 2 in Auckland, New Zealand.
After his recuperation, he joined I-Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, Fourth Marine Division. He participated in the invasions of Saipan and Iwo Jima. He was wounded by mortar fire on the third day at Iwo Jima and evacuated to Schoffield Barracks Hospital in Pearl Harbor. He returned to his Fourth Marine Division unit on Maui and trained for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. He later was assigned to MCB Quantico and was honorably discharged as a corporal on May 8, 1946.
He was a member of the Bulldog Detachment Marine Corps League, Hagerstown, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Vern was one of the few surviving veterans of the Iwo Jima invasion.
He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, A. Lucille "Lu" (Shiley) Brintzenhofe; one daughter, Dr. Karen Kelly and partner, Julie Asbed, of Williamson, N.C.; one son, Keith Brintzenhofe and fiancé, Mayme Hunter, of Stafford, Va.; a stepdaughter, Jayne Moore and husband, Wade, of Hagerstown; a stepson, Reed Waters and wife, Diana, of Hedgesville, W.Va.; three grandchildren, Dana, Aaron and Nick Brintzenhofe of Fredericksburg, Va.; three stepgrandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one sister, Garnet Rhoads and husband, Harry, of Salem, Ohio, and one brother, Donald Brintzenhofe, of Columbiana, Ohio.
In addition to his parents, he also was preceded in death by one sister and two brothers.
Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at 1 p.m. at Rest Haven Funeral Chapel, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown, with the Rev. Mark Curran officiating. Interment will follow in Rest Haven Cemetery.
Friends will be received at the funeral home on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m.
Born March 12, 1925, in Struthers, Ohio, he was the son of the late Homer and Christine (Gallugher) Brintzenhofe.
He was a member of the Beaver Creek Christian Church, where he served as a deacon.
He joined the Marines in 1942. After basic training at Paris Island, S.C., he was assigned to the 1st Aviation Engineers, Fleet Marine Force. From San Diego, Calif., he was shipped to Samoa and New Caledonia to construct airfields. He landed on Guadalcanal and survived the second Coral Sea battle aboard ship. He survived numerous air raids while helping to construct Henderson Airfield and four other fighter landing strips. Recurring malaria forced his evacuation to Mobile Hospital 2 in Auckland, New Zealand.
After his recuperation, he joined I-Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, Fourth Marine Division. He participated in the invasions of Saipan and Iwo Jima. He was wounded by mortar fire on the third day at Iwo Jima and evacuated to Schoffield Barracks Hospital in Pearl Harbor. He returned to his Fourth Marine Division unit on Maui and trained for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. He later was assigned to MCB Quantico and was honorably discharged as a corporal on May 8, 1946.
He was a member of the Bulldog Detachment Marine Corps League, Hagerstown, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Vern was one of the few surviving veterans of the Iwo Jima invasion.
He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, A. Lucille "Lu" (Shiley) Brintzenhofe; one daughter, Dr. Karen Kelly and partner, Julie Asbed, of Williamson, N.C.; one son, Keith Brintzenhofe and fiancé, Mayme Hunter, of Stafford, Va.; a stepdaughter, Jayne Moore and husband, Wade, of Hagerstown; a stepson, Reed Waters and wife, Diana, of Hedgesville, W.Va.; three grandchildren, Dana, Aaron and Nick Brintzenhofe of Fredericksburg, Va.; three stepgrandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one sister, Garnet Rhoads and husband, Harry, of Salem, Ohio, and one brother, Donald Brintzenhofe, of Columbiana, Ohio.
In addition to his parents, he also was preceded in death by one sister and two brothers.
Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at 1 p.m. at Rest Haven Funeral Chapel, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown, with the Rev. Mark Curran officiating. Interment will follow in Rest Haven Cemetery.
Friends will be received at the funeral home on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m.
To send flowers to the family in memory of Vernard Leroy Brintzenhofe, please visit our flower store.
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