H
is office at Edder Funeral Home in Girard proudly
displays military memorabilia of wartime—crossed
swords, pictures of local veterans in full dress uniform,
certificates of honor, framed newspaper stories and glass
cases displaying awards of valor and distinction, each telling the
unique story of courage and sacrifice of a local hero.
A plaque commemorates Richard Sergeant and his crew, all of
whom died when their plane was shot down in New Guinea on April
16, 1944—a day that would later be known as Black Sunday.
A framed letter to Russell Silverthorn’s mother from his wartime
friend tells her how he found Silverthorn’s body on a Korean
battlefield and that he had died valiantly on Aug. 27, 1918. Both men
served in the 112th U.S. Infantry.
Girard’s Andy Simkovich returned home from fighting in the
Battle of Okinawa, April 1945, with a Japanese Arisaka rifle that he
found left behind.
The motto above his desk on the western-facing window reads
“Duty. Honor. Country.”
Dan Edder, owner of Edder Funeral Home in Girard, distinctly
remembers the epiphany that launched what would become a
lifelong passion—his heart-felt esteem and respect for veterans and
the sacrifices they have made to secure and ensure the freedoms
Americans hold so dear and his passion for preserving their stories.
It all began many years ago when a sweet little lady who wanted
military honors for her deceased husband approached Edder and
requested that a box she carried in her arms be buried with him. “Can
you bury this with him?” she asked tearfully. “Can you do this for
me?” “Yes, Ma’am,” Edder replied. “I’ll do that.”
The box contained military keepsakes including a Silver Star,
the third-highest award for bravery awarded by the United States
military. It also held a newspaper article that told of the soldier singlehandedly saving his entire squad in the face of relentless German fire.
“I remember staring at these keepsakes resting beside a deceased
veteran who still carried the permanent body scars of battle and
thinking I needed to hear these stories and preserve them for future
generations,” Edder explains.
Edder’s association with local veterans has further fueled his
passion for community veterans who are, or had been, neighbors
and civic leaders. Staff Sergeant Doug Crance of Lake City, who
served in the Old Guard, influenced Edder with stories of courage
and sacrifice. America’s oldest active infantry regiment in the Army,
the Old Guard, provides honor ceremonies in Arlington National
Cemetery.
When Crance and long-time friend Command Sergeant Major
Manno would stand guard at veterans’ funerals at Edder Funeral
Home, “they were constantly teaching me about protocol and
military history. What an amazing influence they have had on my
understanding and respect for our veterans,” Edder reflects..
“My dad, Merritt Edder, died when I was only 16, and I knew that
he had served in Korea in the Army but really didn’t know much
about his actual experiences and sacrifices,” relates Edder. “As I aged
and heard these stories from family and friends, my passion for these
extraordinary men and women who served really took root.”
For the past two decades Edder has pursued his passion for
honoring our military heroes and preserving their stories and the
record of their service to our country. While driving down Main
Street or Rice Avenue in Girard and Lake City, you can see the
evidence of Edder’s enthusiasm in the Hometown Defenders program
he launched last year. Large banners acknowledging hometown
military heroes hang from downtown light poles, each honoring an
individual who served our country or served the community as a first
responder.
“I