Butler County Men to Leave Clarksville by Special Bus, Oct. 8
CLARKSVILLE—The selective service board of Butler county has issued the names of the 23 men who are to answer call 20. These men will leave Clarksville by special bus at 1:05 p.m. The list includes:
Raymond Gersema, Shell Rock;
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, September 25, 1941
Raymond Gersema Met Death in Pacific Area
Allison Couple Learned From War Department of Death of Their Son August 17
Word was received by Mr. and Mrs. George Gersema of near Allison, last week that their son, Private First Class Raymond Gersema, 24, was killed in action on August 17 in the Pacific war zone.
Raymond was inducted into the Army October 8, 1941, and received his basic training in the infantry at Camp Wolters, Texas, and following this was sent to the Hawaiian islands for further training. He was also sent to the Marshall islands and back to the Hawaiian islands before his last trip to Saipan.
Private Gersema was born January 12, 1920, near Allison, and attended the Jefferson township rural school. He spent his entire life on the farm before his induction into the Army. Raymond was a member of the Reformed church.
Surviving are his parents, one sister, Mrs. Anna DeGroote of Parkersburg, and four brothers, Henry and John of Shell Rock and Joe and Chris at home.
Source: Greene Iowa Recorder, September 27, 1944 (photo included)
Raymond Gersema was born Jan. 12, 1920 to George and Sena Reints Gersema. He died Aug. 17, 1944 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Shell Rock, IA.
Source: ancestry.com
