JOHN L. STEPHENS KILLED IN ACTION ON WEST FRONT
Pfc. John Lee Stephens was killed in action in Germany on April 18, 1945, according to word received Wednesday morning in Algona by his wife, the former Betty Lee Geering. John Lee was with the medical corps, in the 2nd Infantry of the 1st Army, and had been serving in Germany since December, and overseas since September. No details as to how he met his death have yet been received, but a letter is expected soon from the War Department.
John Lee was born June 6, 1924, at Martinsburg, Mo., and was therefore not quite 21 years of age. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Stephens, who moved to Algona some eight or ten years ago when Mr. Stephens took over the rural mail routes out of Algona. Following his graduation in 1942, John Lee was employed at the Sorensen Grocery until he entered the service on May 17, 1943. The following July 24, he was married to Betty Lee Geering, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Geering, and they are the parents of a daughter, Mary Ann, born November 13, 1944.
Besides his wife, daughter and parents, John Lee is survived by four brothers and a sister. Two of the brothers, Lt. J. N. Stephens in the field artillery in the Philippines, and Pvt. Donovan Stephens, Virginia, are in the service. The other two brothers are Sam Loche Stephens, of Newport News, Va., and Keith Stephens, who farms near Algona. The sister is Mrs. Marvin Jacobsen, of Emmetsburg.
Mrs. Stephens last heard from her husband in a letter that was written April 3d in Germany.
Source: Algona Upper Des Moines, May 3, 1945
ALGONA GI DIES ON GERMAN SOIL
Pfc. John Stephens With 1st Army, Killed
Algona -- John L. Stephens was killed in action in Germany April 18, according to a government communication received by his wife Wednesday. He was with a medical corps in the 2nd infantry, 1st army. He had been overseas since September 1944.
Pvt. Stephens, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie E. Stephens here, was born at Martinsburg, Mo., June 6, 1924. He was graduated from the Algona high school in 1942. He was married July 24, 1943, to Betty Lee Geering who with an infant daughter, Mary Ann, survives.
Source: The Mason City Globe-Gazette, May 4, 1945
80 Kossuth Men Officially Listed As Casualties In War
FIRST RELEASE OF STATE HISTORICAL DEATH SUMMARIES
Eighty men from Kossuth county lost their lives while in the service of their country in World War II.
KOSSUTH WAR DEAD.
Stephens, John L., Pvt.
Killed in action in Germany 4-18-45.
Wife: Mrs. Betty Geering Stephens, Algona, Ia.
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Leslie E. Stephens, Algona, Ia.
Source: The Algona Upper DesMoines, Tuesday, January 22, 1946 – page 7.
He is buried at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Netherlands.
Source: fieldsofhonor-database.com
