Page A12 MAY 2023 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Section A Within a few minutes all the men were brought up to the main deck and received the best medical attention from the ship’s doctor, but non regained consciousness. Lt. Fonda passed away at 4:12pm, his official cause of death was accidental asphyxiation due to oxygen deficiency. He was initially buried at the Island Command Cemetery, Okinawa at 11:00 a.m. November 12, 1945. His service was attended by 25 of his shipmates and friends. Lt. Fonda was later reburied in Arlington National Cemetery. The government posthumously awarded him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. The daughters of Al Sitarski said that their father never really spoke about Fred Fonda. After reading these letters, they surmised that the pain of the loss of his close friend was one he never wished to discuss. The final letter Al received from Fred was upbeat and full of humor. He told of a baseball game between the crew and the officers. “Our defense was tight, the crew also a little tight. The spectators passed out about the 6th inning when the beer ran ou t!” He ended the letter with: “The folks talked about your visit. It may not be long before I get there myself. I hope that you can be home at Christmas time. Anyway Al, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” Alfred W. Sitarski of New Jersey died Saturday, July 14, 2012, and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Chester, New Jersey. He had stayed in the Naval Reserve until 1955. He went on to a distinguished career with Exxon Corporation. His wife of 65 years, Clara, died in 2012. The legacy of Lieutenant Fred Fonda can be summed up with a line the writer G. K. Chesterton penned, “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.” We are forever in the debt of all of those who have served; especially those who never returned. “I think in their heart of hearts, they pictured the war will eventually be over, we’ll both be married, settle down and have some children, our wives will be friends, and we’ll have BBQs. But it never happened.” —Susan Strum, Al Sitarski’s daughter Observations “We do not know the compromise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country, they accepted death, and thus resolved as doubts, and made.” —James A. Garfield All Memorial Day remembrances are not of battles of guts and glory, but of people who survive friendship and loss. The two daughters were cleaning out their parents’ house after their mother died. In the attic they found an envelope with their father’s writing upon it. The envelope read, “A Very Sad Story About WWII”. Overwhelmed with their total task, the daughters, Susan Strum and Cindy Sommer, put the envelope aside. Cindy gave them to Susan to read. After attending her town’s Memorial Day observances, she opened the envelope. The envelope contained letters from their father’s best friend, comrades in service. Cindy and Susan’s father, Al Sitarski, and his high school classmate, Fred Fonda, continued their friendship through letters about mutual, but separate, war service, successes, and fears, loves and frustrations, but with a mutual support to carry them through the war. “The letters in this envelope were a collection, in chronological order, of all the letters Fred wrote to my dad,” Susan Strum told FOX news. “These two men had such a bond.” Al Sitarski and Fred Fonda attended Linden (New Jersey) High School. They both joined the Navy in 1942 after attending Newark College of Engineering. After mutual study via the Navy at Cornell University, their Naval careers took them to separate locations. Sitarski was assigned to Solomons, Maryland, an important site for training amphibious invasion forces. The graduates of this training went on to assist in many major battles. He was assigned to YMS104, Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper. Frederick Anthony Fonda was born on January 12, 1921, in Fiume, Italy. He came to America and was naturalized as an American citizen in 1931. Fred was on the Varsity Football Team at Linden High. He served many other roles while a student. In 1942, Fonda was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserves. He graduated in the top third of his class with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Newark College in 1943. By Steven Palmer Fonda was transferred to the USS Goldsborough in July 1943. He went on to be promoted to Lieutenant (J.G.) in April 1944. He saw action in the Azores. On May 8, 1945, LT. J.G. Fonda was transferred to the Destroyer U.S.S. Greene for service in the Asiatic-Pacific. The USS Greene served as an anti-submarine escort in the Okinawa, Saipan, and Philippines areas. They evacuated prisoners of war from Nagasaki after the second Atomic Bomb. On October 9, 1945, the typhoon Louise took the USS Greene as a victim. She was driven aground in Kutaka with the high winds, reaching 100 knots. Many other Navy and other ships were casualties of the typhoon. It was determined that the cost of repair to the USS Greene was not worth it. Lieutenant Fonda was the lead damage control officer in the removal of ammo from the ship’s aft handling room. The group he headed were working when a strange gas filled the area. Those working in the magazine were overcome with the fumes. At 4:12 PM, Fonda tried to rescue the four workers affected. He died with them. The other sailors who lost their lives were Gunner’s Mate Clyde D. Sly, Gunner’s Mate Samuel H. Scheimer, Sonarman James M. Carbaugh, and Seaman Howard G. Vaverka. A Memorial Day Remembrance Steven Palmer entered funeral service in 1971. He is an honors graduate of the New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences. He has been licensed on both coasts, he owned the Westcott Funeral Homes of Cottonwood and Camp Verde, AZ, where he remains active in operations. Steve offers his observations on current funeral service issues. He may be reached by mail at PO Box 352, Cottonwood, AZ 86326, by phone at (928)634-9566, by fax at (928)634-5156, by e-mail at steve@westcottfuneralhome.com or through his website at www.westcottfuneralhome.com or on Facebook. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.NomisPublications.com Monthly Columnsonline at Reproduced at the National Archives, Prepared 30 April 1946: “The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the NAVY AND MARINE CORPS MEDAL to LIEUTENANT FREDERICK ANTHONY FONDA UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE for service as set forth in the following CITATION: “For heroic conduct while serving on the U.S.S. GREENE, November 9, 1945. In charge of a working party removing ammunition from the after-handling room during the decommissioning of the U.S.S. GREENE subsequent to her grounding in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, Lieutenant Fonda courageously entered a gas-filled compartment and, despite the danger from deadly fumes, undertook the rescue of three of his men overcome by gas, and persisted in his voluntary task until he himself was stricken. Lieutenant Fonda’s outstanding loyalty to his men and his devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for others.” For the President, James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy www.vischerfuneralsupplies.com Made in the USA in the USA Proudly made in our own local workshops Check out our blog: blog.ampli.com ampli.com • 1-800-267-5486 Multimedia ADA Lecterns PAs CUSTOMIZE any Lectern with your Company Logo At AmpliVox, we pride ourselves on offering the highest quality Lecterns and Portable PA Systems, manufactured in the USA, for your funeral home and gravesite services izing death care through a unique blend of longstanding traditions of caring for the deceased and a fresh perspective that death is a natural and beautiful part of the human experience that should be planned and celebrated. Lilly H. Donohue, CEO of Everstory Partners, said, “This rebranding effort is more than just a name change. It reflects our values and our vision for the future. Part of modernizing this business means working to destigmatize death care from both an employee and customer perspective. We intend to invest in our people and our product, utilizing best-in-class systems and processes from other service-focused companies outside of the death care industry. Our team has worked hard to develop a brand that better represents our new mission and our commitment to excellence.” Donohue added, “As we move forward with the Everstory name, it is with a renewed commitment to providing compassionate care and support for families during some of life’s most difficult moments and helping families find a positive way forward. We understand the importance of honoring loved ones and we are dedicated to providing meaningful and personalized services to each and every individual and family we serve.” Everstory Partners, headquartered in Bensalem, PA is a leading owner and operator of cemeteries, funeral homes, and cremation locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Since 1999, the company has grown to include 389 locations in 24 states and Puerto Rico. For additional information about Everstory Partners, visit www.everstorypartners.com. StoneMor Inc. Changes Name to Everstory Partners BENSALEM,PA— StoneMor Inc., a leading owner and operator of 389 cemeteries, funeral homes, and cremation locations in the United States and Puerto Rico, has announced a corporate name change to Everstory Partners, effective immediately. Everstory’s network of cemeteries, funeral homes, and cremation locations will continue to operate under their local community names. The change to Everstory is an exciting time for the company as we continue to grow and expand our services in the death care industry. Everstory is committed to modernSEND US YOUR NEWS! PO Box 5159 Youngstown, Oh 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com
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