Pilot Tribune 13 April 1944
Soldier’s Death Told
P.F.C. Kenneth Redding Of Blair Was Casualty On March 9 In Italy
Official notification of the death of P.F.C. Kenneth Redding, 27, was received Tuesday noon by his mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair. Pvt. Redding was killed in action “somewhere in Italy” on March 9, the brief war department telegram stated; a letter containing details was promised.
Pvt. Redding, who had taken membership in the local V.F.W. post, is believed to be the first fatality among Blair’s World War II “Vets”.
A resident of Blair and Tekamah nearly all his life, Pvt. Redding passed his 27th birthday on December 3. He attended Tekamah high school, was employed for several years on farms in Washington and Burt counties, and for three years before entering the army he was employed in Missouri river work. He was a member of the Methodist church.
He was one of a large group of inductees who left for training on February 27, 1941. He had been overseas almost two years, serving most of that period in North Africa and later transferring to Italy.
Pvt. Redding is survived by his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair; two brothers, Ed of Keeser Field, Miss. And S2/c Glenn of the Seabees in the Soloman Islands; and three sisters, Mrs. Hal Walker of Omaha, Mrs. Howard Rhea of Arlington, and Mary Lou Redding of Craig.
Arlington Review Herald 27 April 1944
Kenneth Redding Killed in Italy
Relatives of Pfc. Kenneth Redding at Blair have been notified by the War Department of his death on the Anzio Beach Head, in Italy, on March 9. A letter containing full particulars of his death has not been received by his family.
Pfc. Redding had served nearly 2 years overseas, most of that time in North Africa. He was a brother of Mrs. Howard Rhea.
News Article 1 June 1944
Details of Redding’s Death Told
Details of how Kenneth Redding met death in the Italian war theatre were revealed this week in a letter written to Mrs. LeRoy McCann of Fort Calhoun by a buddy of young Redding.
Oddly enough, the buddy, whose name cannot be revealed, was a Lincoln, Nebraska, lad who was apparently very close to Redding. He had opened a letter which came to Kenneth after his death and thereby secured the address of Mrs. McCann to whom he wrote the details.
The letter states that Kenneth lost his life while on guard detail on the beachheads. He was talking with another soldier friend when an artillery shell came over and lit right between them. It was a direct hit and both men lost their lives instantly.
The accident happened about March 14th, the informant writes, and he urged that the folks here at home “keep their chins up”. He tells of the death of his own brother in Africa who lost his life when a stick of dynamite blew up in his hand and says that he has tasted the bitter realities of war, too.
In closing, he writes, “If Kenneth hadn’t been an extra good soldier, our Lord wouldn’t have taken him in such a painless way….Please write.”
Kenneth’s mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell, reports the receipt of a letter from Kenneth’s chaplain who says that burial had been made with full military and religious observance and that he rests in a quiet cemetery on Italian soil.
Pilot Tribune 8 June 1944
Orchid Arrives – Late
Mrs. Ed Arkell received a Mother’s Day orchid, Monday – sent by her son, Pfc. Kenneth Redding, who was killed on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy March 9. For some unexplained reason the delivery of the soldier’s tribute to his mother was delayed.
Pilot Tribune 8 July 1948
Body of Pvt. Redding Home
Killed In Italy, Blairite Being Brought Home For Final Interment
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair, arrived in the United States Tuesday aboard the U.S. Army Transport “Carroll Victory”.
The body, one of 5,842 being returned from Italy, is to be forwarded to Blair within a few weeks for final burial.
The Fick Funeral Home will have charge of local arrangements.
Pfc. Redding was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old. Joining the army in February, 1941, he had been overseas almost two years, in North Africa and Italy, before he met his death.
The former Blairite was born Dec. 3, 1916, at Tekamah. He attended Tekamah High School, then worked on Burt and Washington County farms about three years before joining the army.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pfc. Redding was one of the first World War II veterans to be admitted to membership in Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, of Blair.
Pilot Tribune 5 Aug 1948
Pvt. Redding Funeral Rites at 2:30 Today
War Hero, Killed In Italy, Being Buried After Methodist Rites
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell, came home this week to be borne to its final resting place.
Services are being held at 2:30 p.m. today at First Methodist Church. The Rev. D. D. Kennedy of First Baptist Church is officiating, and military burial will follow in Blair Cemetery. Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, is in charge of military rituals.
Local business houses are closing for an hour during the funeral.
Pfc. Redding, one of the first members of the local VFW post from World War II ranks, was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pilot Tribune 12 Aug 1948
Out-of-town persons here to attend the funeral of Kenneth Redding were: Bellevue, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Christoffer and Mrs. Jack McDonald and Mike; Omaha, Rosamond Thomas and Mrs. Don Jackson; Craig, Messrs. and Mesdames John Thomas and Cathy, Jim Thomas and two children, and Don Druhe; Council Bluffs, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Redding; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Bryan of Topeka, Kan.; Fort Calhoun, Messrs. And Mesdames Claire Thomas and Virginia, Glen Weeces and Mrs. Don Stricklett; Arlington, Messrs. and Mesdames Grove Wilkins and Eva and Jean, and Howard Rhea.
~~~ Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~
Buried: 8/5/1948 ~ Age: 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"United States Census, 1940"
Kenneth, who is single, is living in Blair, Nebraska with his mother, who has remarried to Ed Arkell. Also living with them is his maternal grandfather, 66 year old Ed Thomas (b. NE). Five years prior they were living in the same residence, which seems to indicate that Helen remarried sometime prior to 1936.
Soldier’s Death Told
P.F.C. Kenneth Redding Of Blair Was Casualty On March 9 In Italy
Official notification of the death of P.F.C. Kenneth Redding, 27, was received Tuesday noon by his mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair. Pvt. Redding was killed in action “somewhere in Italy” on March 9, the brief war department telegram stated; a letter containing details was promised.
Pvt. Redding, who had taken membership in the local V.F.W. post, is believed to be the first fatality among Blair’s World War II “Vets”.
A resident of Blair and Tekamah nearly all his life, Pvt. Redding passed his 27th birthday on December 3. He attended Tekamah high school, was employed for several years on farms in Washington and Burt counties, and for three years before entering the army he was employed in Missouri river work. He was a member of the Methodist church.
He was one of a large group of inductees who left for training on February 27, 1941. He had been overseas almost two years, serving most of that period in North Africa and later transferring to Italy.
Pvt. Redding is survived by his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair; two brothers, Ed of Keeser Field, Miss. And S2/c Glenn of the Seabees in the Soloman Islands; and three sisters, Mrs. Hal Walker of Omaha, Mrs. Howard Rhea of Arlington, and Mary Lou Redding of Craig.
Arlington Review Herald 27 April 1944
Kenneth Redding Killed in Italy
Relatives of Pfc. Kenneth Redding at Blair have been notified by the War Department of his death on the Anzio Beach Head, in Italy, on March 9. A letter containing full particulars of his death has not been received by his family.
Pfc. Redding had served nearly 2 years overseas, most of that time in North Africa. He was a brother of Mrs. Howard Rhea.
News Article 1 June 1944
Details of Redding’s Death Told
Details of how Kenneth Redding met death in the Italian war theatre were revealed this week in a letter written to Mrs. LeRoy McCann of Fort Calhoun by a buddy of young Redding.
Oddly enough, the buddy, whose name cannot be revealed, was a Lincoln, Nebraska, lad who was apparently very close to Redding. He had opened a letter which came to Kenneth after his death and thereby secured the address of Mrs. McCann to whom he wrote the details.
The letter states that Kenneth lost his life while on guard detail on the beachheads. He was talking with another soldier friend when an artillery shell came over and lit right between them. It was a direct hit and both men lost their lives instantly.
The accident happened about March 14th, the informant writes, and he urged that the folks here at home “keep their chins up”. He tells of the death of his own brother in Africa who lost his life when a stick of dynamite blew up in his hand and says that he has tasted the bitter realities of war, too.
In closing, he writes, “If Kenneth hadn’t been an extra good soldier, our Lord wouldn’t have taken him in such a painless way….Please write.”
Kenneth’s mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell, reports the receipt of a letter from Kenneth’s chaplain who says that burial had been made with full military and religious observance and that he rests in a quiet cemetery on Italian soil.
Pilot Tribune 8 June 1944
Orchid Arrives – Late
Mrs. Ed Arkell received a Mother’s Day orchid, Monday – sent by her son, Pfc. Kenneth Redding, who was killed on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy March 9. For some unexplained reason the delivery of the soldier’s tribute to his mother was delayed.
Pilot Tribune 8 July 1948
Body of Pvt. Redding Home
Killed In Italy, Blairite Being Brought Home For Final Interment
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair, arrived in the United States Tuesday aboard the U.S. Army Transport “Carroll Victory”.
The body, one of 5,842 being returned from Italy, is to be forwarded to Blair within a few weeks for final burial.
The Fick Funeral Home will have charge of local arrangements.
Pfc. Redding was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old. Joining the army in February, 1941, he had been overseas almost two years, in North Africa and Italy, before he met his death.
The former Blairite was born Dec. 3, 1916, at Tekamah. He attended Tekamah High School, then worked on Burt and Washington County farms about three years before joining the army.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pfc. Redding was one of the first World War II veterans to be admitted to membership in Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, of Blair.
Pilot Tribune 5 Aug 1948
Pvt. Redding Funeral Rites at 2:30 Today
War Hero, Killed In Italy, Being Buried After Methodist Rites
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell, came home this week to be borne to its final resting place.
Services are being held at 2:30 p.m. today at First Methodist Church. The Rev. D. D. Kennedy of First Baptist Church is officiating, and military burial will follow in Blair Cemetery. Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, is in charge of military rituals.
Local business houses are closing for an hour during the funeral.
Pfc. Redding, one of the first members of the local VFW post from World War II ranks, was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pilot Tribune 12 Aug 1948
Out-of-town persons here to attend the funeral of Kenneth Redding were: Bellevue, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Christoffer and Mrs. Jack McDonald and Mike; Omaha, Rosamond Thomas and Mrs. Don Jackson; Craig, Messrs. and Mesdames John Thomas and Cathy, Jim Thomas and two children, and Don Druhe; Council Bluffs, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Redding; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Bryan of Topeka, Kan.; Fort Calhoun, Messrs. And Mesdames Claire Thomas and Virginia, Glen Weeces and Mrs. Don Stricklett; Arlington, Messrs. and Mesdames Grove Wilkins and Eva and Jean, and Howard Rhea.
~~~ Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~
Buried: 8/5/1948 ~ Age: 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"United States Census, 1940"
Kenneth, who is single, is living in Blair, Nebraska with his mother, who has remarried to Ed Arkell. Also living with them is his maternal grandfather, 66 year old Ed Thomas (b. NE). Five years prior they were living in the same residence, which seems to indicate that Helen remarried sometime prior to 1936.
Pilot Tribune 13 April 1944
Soldier’s Death Told
P.F.C. Kenneth Redding Of Blair Was Casualty On March 9 In Italy
Official notification of the death of P.F.C. Kenneth Redding, 27, was received Tuesday noon by his mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair. Pvt. Redding was killed in action “somewhere in Italy” on March 9, the brief war department telegram stated; a letter containing details was promised.
Pvt. Redding, who had taken membership in the local V.F.W. post, is believed to be the first fatality among Blair’s World War II “Vets”.
A resident of Blair and Tekamah nearly all his life, Pvt. Redding passed his 27th birthday on December 3. He attended Tekamah high school, was employed for several years on farms in Washington and Burt counties, and for three years before entering the army he was employed in Missouri river work. He was a member of the Methodist church.
He was one of a large group of inductees who left for training on February 27, 1941. He had been overseas almost two years, serving most of that period in North Africa and later transferring to Italy.
Pvt. Redding is survived by his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair; two brothers, Ed of Keeser Field, Miss. And S2/c Glenn of the Seabees in the Soloman Islands; and three sisters, Mrs. Hal Walker of Omaha, Mrs. Howard Rhea of Arlington, and Mary Lou Redding of Craig.
Arlington Review Herald 27 April 1944
Kenneth Redding Killed in Italy
Relatives of Pfc. Kenneth Redding at Blair have been notified by the War Department of his death on the Anzio Beach Head, in Italy, on March 9. A letter containing full particulars of his death has not been received by his family.
Pfc. Redding had served nearly 2 years overseas, most of that time in North Africa. He was a brother of Mrs. Howard Rhea.
News Article 1 June 1944
Details of Redding’s Death Told
Details of how Kenneth Redding met death in the Italian war theatre were revealed this week in a letter written to Mrs. LeRoy McCann of Fort Calhoun by a buddy of young Redding.
Oddly enough, the buddy, whose name cannot be revealed, was a Lincoln, Nebraska, lad who was apparently very close to Redding. He had opened a letter which came to Kenneth after his death and thereby secured the address of Mrs. McCann to whom he wrote the details.
The letter states that Kenneth lost his life while on guard detail on the beachheads. He was talking with another soldier friend when an artillery shell came over and lit right between them. It was a direct hit and both men lost their lives instantly.
The accident happened about March 14th, the informant writes, and he urged that the folks here at home “keep their chins up”. He tells of the death of his own brother in Africa who lost his life when a stick of dynamite blew up in his hand and says that he has tasted the bitter realities of war, too.
In closing, he writes, “If Kenneth hadn’t been an extra good soldier, our Lord wouldn’t have taken him in such a painless way….Please write.”
Kenneth’s mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell, reports the receipt of a letter from Kenneth’s chaplain who says that burial had been made with full military and religious observance and that he rests in a quiet cemetery on Italian soil.
Pilot Tribune 8 June 1944
Orchid Arrives – Late
Mrs. Ed Arkell received a Mother’s Day orchid, Monday – sent by her son, Pfc. Kenneth Redding, who was killed on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy March 9. For some unexplained reason the delivery of the soldier’s tribute to his mother was delayed.
Pilot Tribune 8 July 1948
Body of Pvt. Redding Home
Killed In Italy, Blairite Being Brought Home For Final Interment
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair, arrived in the United States Tuesday aboard the U.S. Army Transport “Carroll Victory”.
The body, one of 5,842 being returned from Italy, is to be forwarded to Blair within a few weeks for final burial.
The Fick Funeral Home will have charge of local arrangements.
Pfc. Redding was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old. Joining the army in February, 1941, he had been overseas almost two years, in North Africa and Italy, before he met his death.
The former Blairite was born Dec. 3, 1916, at Tekamah. He attended Tekamah High School, then worked on Burt and Washington County farms about three years before joining the army.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pfc. Redding was one of the first World War II veterans to be admitted to membership in Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, of Blair.
Pilot Tribune 5 Aug 1948
Pvt. Redding Funeral Rites at 2:30 Today
War Hero, Killed In Italy, Being Buried After Methodist Rites
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell, came home this week to be borne to its final resting place.
Services are being held at 2:30 p.m. today at First Methodist Church. The Rev. D. D. Kennedy of First Baptist Church is officiating, and military burial will follow in Blair Cemetery. Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, is in charge of military rituals.
Local business houses are closing for an hour during the funeral.
Pfc. Redding, one of the first members of the local VFW post from World War II ranks, was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pilot Tribune 12 Aug 1948
Out-of-town persons here to attend the funeral of Kenneth Redding were: Bellevue, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Christoffer and Mrs. Jack McDonald and Mike; Omaha, Rosamond Thomas and Mrs. Don Jackson; Craig, Messrs. and Mesdames John Thomas and Cathy, Jim Thomas and two children, and Don Druhe; Council Bluffs, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Redding; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Bryan of Topeka, Kan.; Fort Calhoun, Messrs. And Mesdames Claire Thomas and Virginia, Glen Weeces and Mrs. Don Stricklett; Arlington, Messrs. and Mesdames Grove Wilkins and Eva and Jean, and Howard Rhea.
~~~ Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~
Buried: 8/5/1948 ~ Age: 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"United States Census, 1940"
Kenneth, who is single, is living in Blair, Nebraska with his mother, who has remarried to Ed Arkell. Also living with them is his maternal grandfather, 66 year old Ed Thomas (b. NE). Five years prior they were living in the same residence, which seems to indicate that Helen remarried sometime prior to 1936.
Soldier’s Death Told
P.F.C. Kenneth Redding Of Blair Was Casualty On March 9 In Italy
Official notification of the death of P.F.C. Kenneth Redding, 27, was received Tuesday noon by his mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair. Pvt. Redding was killed in action “somewhere in Italy” on March 9, the brief war department telegram stated; a letter containing details was promised.
Pvt. Redding, who had taken membership in the local V.F.W. post, is believed to be the first fatality among Blair’s World War II “Vets”.
A resident of Blair and Tekamah nearly all his life, Pvt. Redding passed his 27th birthday on December 3. He attended Tekamah high school, was employed for several years on farms in Washington and Burt counties, and for three years before entering the army he was employed in Missouri river work. He was a member of the Methodist church.
He was one of a large group of inductees who left for training on February 27, 1941. He had been overseas almost two years, serving most of that period in North Africa and later transferring to Italy.
Pvt. Redding is survived by his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair; two brothers, Ed of Keeser Field, Miss. And S2/c Glenn of the Seabees in the Soloman Islands; and three sisters, Mrs. Hal Walker of Omaha, Mrs. Howard Rhea of Arlington, and Mary Lou Redding of Craig.
Arlington Review Herald 27 April 1944
Kenneth Redding Killed in Italy
Relatives of Pfc. Kenneth Redding at Blair have been notified by the War Department of his death on the Anzio Beach Head, in Italy, on March 9. A letter containing full particulars of his death has not been received by his family.
Pfc. Redding had served nearly 2 years overseas, most of that time in North Africa. He was a brother of Mrs. Howard Rhea.
News Article 1 June 1944
Details of Redding’s Death Told
Details of how Kenneth Redding met death in the Italian war theatre were revealed this week in a letter written to Mrs. LeRoy McCann of Fort Calhoun by a buddy of young Redding.
Oddly enough, the buddy, whose name cannot be revealed, was a Lincoln, Nebraska, lad who was apparently very close to Redding. He had opened a letter which came to Kenneth after his death and thereby secured the address of Mrs. McCann to whom he wrote the details.
The letter states that Kenneth lost his life while on guard detail on the beachheads. He was talking with another soldier friend when an artillery shell came over and lit right between them. It was a direct hit and both men lost their lives instantly.
The accident happened about March 14th, the informant writes, and he urged that the folks here at home “keep their chins up”. He tells of the death of his own brother in Africa who lost his life when a stick of dynamite blew up in his hand and says that he has tasted the bitter realities of war, too.
In closing, he writes, “If Kenneth hadn’t been an extra good soldier, our Lord wouldn’t have taken him in such a painless way….Please write.”
Kenneth’s mother, Mrs. Ed Arkell, reports the receipt of a letter from Kenneth’s chaplain who says that burial had been made with full military and religious observance and that he rests in a quiet cemetery on Italian soil.
Pilot Tribune 8 June 1944
Orchid Arrives – Late
Mrs. Ed Arkell received a Mother’s Day orchid, Monday – sent by her son, Pfc. Kenneth Redding, who was killed on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy March 9. For some unexplained reason the delivery of the soldier’s tribute to his mother was delayed.
Pilot Tribune 8 July 1948
Body of Pvt. Redding Home
Killed In Italy, Blairite Being Brought Home For Final Interment
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell of Blair, arrived in the United States Tuesday aboard the U.S. Army Transport “Carroll Victory”.
The body, one of 5,842 being returned from Italy, is to be forwarded to Blair within a few weeks for final burial.
The Fick Funeral Home will have charge of local arrangements.
Pfc. Redding was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old. Joining the army in February, 1941, he had been overseas almost two years, in North Africa and Italy, before he met his death.
The former Blairite was born Dec. 3, 1916, at Tekamah. He attended Tekamah High School, then worked on Burt and Washington County farms about three years before joining the army.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pfc. Redding was one of the first World War II veterans to be admitted to membership in Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, of Blair.
Pilot Tribune 5 Aug 1948
Pvt. Redding Funeral Rites at 2:30 Today
War Hero, Killed In Italy, Being Buried After Methodist Rites
The body of Pfc. Kenneth E. Redding, son of Mrs. Ed Arkell, came home this week to be borne to its final resting place.
Services are being held at 2:30 p.m. today at First Methodist Church. The Rev. D. D. Kennedy of First Baptist Church is officiating, and military burial will follow in Blair Cemetery. Washington County Post 1251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, is in charge of military rituals.
Local business houses are closing for an hour during the funeral.
Pfc. Redding, one of the first members of the local VFW post from World War II ranks, was killed Mar. 9, 1944, on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. He was 27 years old.
His father died at Tekamah in 1929. Surviving Pfc. Redding are his mother, Mrs. Helen Arkell, and his stepfather, Ed Arkell, both of Blair; two brothers, Ed Redding of Council Bluffs and Glen Weeces of Fort Calhoun; three sisters, Mrs. Howard Rhea (Lola) of Arlington, Mrs. Hal Walker (Betty) of Tekamah and Mrs. Don Druhe (Mary Lou), Craig; his grandfather, Ed Thomas of Tekamah; and his grandmother, Mrs. Mattie Redding of Los Angeles.
Pilot Tribune 12 Aug 1948
Out-of-town persons here to attend the funeral of Kenneth Redding were: Bellevue, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Christoffer and Mrs. Jack McDonald and Mike; Omaha, Rosamond Thomas and Mrs. Don Jackson; Craig, Messrs. and Mesdames John Thomas and Cathy, Jim Thomas and two children, and Don Druhe; Council Bluffs, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Redding; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Bryan of Topeka, Kan.; Fort Calhoun, Messrs. And Mesdames Claire Thomas and Virginia, Glen Weeces and Mrs. Don Stricklett; Arlington, Messrs. and Mesdames Grove Wilkins and Eva and Jean, and Howard Rhea.
~~~ Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~
Buried: 8/5/1948 ~ Age: 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"United States Census, 1940"
Kenneth, who is single, is living in Blair, Nebraska with his mother, who has remarried to Ed Arkell. Also living with them is his maternal grandfather, 66 year old Ed Thomas (b. NE). Five years prior they were living in the same residence, which seems to indicate that Helen remarried sometime prior to 1936.
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