…Mrace family lived in Ely at the time the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor

Letters to the Editor

Letter to the editor: The Mrace family will be honored at the Memorial Day Services on Monday, May 27th. The Mrace family lived in Ely at the time the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Albin Mrace was one of three Mrace brothers who were killed in WW II. Albin was 22 years old and was serving on the USS West Virginia when he was killed on December 7, 1941. Anton Mrace Jr. was 32 years of age and died on July 23, 1944 in France. Army Staff Sgt. Frank Mrace was killed in action in the Philippines on April 10th, 1945. Louis Mrace, the fourth Mrace son to serve in WW II, was injured but survived and returned to Ely after WW II ended.

Today, Louis Mrace’s two children live in West Virginia and Colorado.

The Navy and the Army sent special representatives to the funeral held for Albin, Anton and Frank held in July of 1948 when all three bodies had been returned to Ely. Hundreds packed St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and even still more stood silent as a long procession made its way to the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Rest Cemetery for the funeral for all three. Businesses in Ely closed for the morning. After the burial a Naval plane flew over the cemetery scattering flowers over the three graves. Their parents, Louis Mrace and a sister were the survivors.

Ely American Legion Post 248 Gerald Tyler, Adjutant