Major Gregory J. Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, died August 30, 2005 when an explosive detonated near his patrol.
FESTER Gregory J. Fester.
On Tuesday, August 30, 2005, Gregory J. Fester, Major, U.S. Army, of Ada, Mich. and formerly of Westerville, Oh. was killed in an explosion in Iskandariyah, Iraq, while on a mission to build schools and repair other infrastructure in the war-torn country, in Iraq.
He spent 8 1/2 years in the Army and was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, in which he earned the Bronze Star, among other honors.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, he was a CNS Specialist with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
Gregory is the beloved husband of Julie; devoted father of Jennifer, Megan and Peyton; dear son of Virginia Piecoro and William Fester; and son-in-law to Jack and Charlene Hammond; loving brother of Mindy (Fester) Lind and her husband, Brad and Lt. Col. Eric Fester, M.D., U.S.A.F. and his wife, Jennifer; brother-in-law to Julie's sisters, Jackie and her husband, Joe Whalen, Linda and her husband, Doug Frey, Beth and her husband, Jeff Ramsey. Greg is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Fester grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a close-knit community where he attended high school with his future wife, who was one year his junior. They began dating shortly after she graduated after "clicking" at a graduation party, friends said. The couple's 18th wedding anniversary would have been Monday.
He went to Ohio State University and was a loyal Buckeyes fan who moved several years ago to rival territory in Michigan.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gregory Fester Memorial Fund c/o 5th/3rd Bank, 475 Ada Dr., P.O. Box 311, Ada, Mich. 49301. All proceeds will be entrusted for scholarships for Greg's children.
The next care package being prepared for Gregory J. Fester contained a pink and yellow, flower-shaped dog toy for a pup he had adopted. "I'd be talking on the phone and I'd hear him say, 'Oh, hi, Snowball,'" said his wife, Julie Fester. "It was like no dog I'd ever seen _ white and straggly." Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was killed Aug. 30 by a bomb blast in Iskandariyah. He was based at Fort Bragg. The rest of the care package offered a picture of Fester: his three favorite magazines _ National Geographic, Car & Driver and Popular Mechanics _ and DVDs of the movie "Coach Carter" and the first two seasons of "Seinfeld." His wife also planned to send him a book of constellations. He loved the night sky and was always pointing out the Big and Little Dippers. "He said the sky was so clear over there," she said of Iraq. "You could see even more of the constellations." He attended Ohio State University and served in the Army for 8 1/2 years, including a stint in Operation Desert Storm, before taking a job in pharmaceutical sales at Pfizer Inc. He also is survived by his children Jenni, 16; Megan, 13; and Peyton, 6.
**Special thanks to Hope for adding a photograph of this American hero's memorial marker to his tribute.
***Heartfelt thanks on this Memorial Day 2015 go to Find A Grave contributor Stevan Rich who has sponsored my memorial for Gregory Fester. May your kindness be returned to you Sir, one hundred fold.
FESTER Gregory J. Fester.
On Tuesday, August 30, 2005, Gregory J. Fester, Major, U.S. Army, of Ada, Mich. and formerly of Westerville, Oh. was killed in an explosion in Iskandariyah, Iraq, while on a mission to build schools and repair other infrastructure in the war-torn country, in Iraq.
He spent 8 1/2 years in the Army and was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, in which he earned the Bronze Star, among other honors.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, he was a CNS Specialist with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
Gregory is the beloved husband of Julie; devoted father of Jennifer, Megan and Peyton; dear son of Virginia Piecoro and William Fester; and son-in-law to Jack and Charlene Hammond; loving brother of Mindy (Fester) Lind and her husband, Brad and Lt. Col. Eric Fester, M.D., U.S.A.F. and his wife, Jennifer; brother-in-law to Julie's sisters, Jackie and her husband, Joe Whalen, Linda and her husband, Doug Frey, Beth and her husband, Jeff Ramsey. Greg is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Fester grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a close-knit community where he attended high school with his future wife, who was one year his junior. They began dating shortly after she graduated after "clicking" at a graduation party, friends said. The couple's 18th wedding anniversary would have been Monday.
He went to Ohio State University and was a loyal Buckeyes fan who moved several years ago to rival territory in Michigan.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gregory Fester Memorial Fund c/o 5th/3rd Bank, 475 Ada Dr., P.O. Box 311, Ada, Mich. 49301. All proceeds will be entrusted for scholarships for Greg's children.
The next care package being prepared for Gregory J. Fester contained a pink and yellow, flower-shaped dog toy for a pup he had adopted. "I'd be talking on the phone and I'd hear him say, 'Oh, hi, Snowball,'" said his wife, Julie Fester. "It was like no dog I'd ever seen _ white and straggly." Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was killed Aug. 30 by a bomb blast in Iskandariyah. He was based at Fort Bragg. The rest of the care package offered a picture of Fester: his three favorite magazines _ National Geographic, Car & Driver and Popular Mechanics _ and DVDs of the movie "Coach Carter" and the first two seasons of "Seinfeld." His wife also planned to send him a book of constellations. He loved the night sky and was always pointing out the Big and Little Dippers. "He said the sky was so clear over there," she said of Iraq. "You could see even more of the constellations." He attended Ohio State University and served in the Army for 8 1/2 years, including a stint in Operation Desert Storm, before taking a job in pharmaceutical sales at Pfizer Inc. He also is survived by his children Jenni, 16; Megan, 13; and Peyton, 6.
**Special thanks to Hope for adding a photograph of this American hero's memorial marker to his tribute.
***Heartfelt thanks on this Memorial Day 2015 go to Find A Grave contributor Stevan Rich who has sponsored my memorial for Gregory Fester. May your kindness be returned to you Sir, one hundred fold.
Major Gregory J. Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, died August 30, 2005 when an explosive detonated near his patrol.
FESTER Gregory J. Fester.
On Tuesday, August 30, 2005, Gregory J. Fester, Major, U.S. Army, of Ada, Mich. and formerly of Westerville, Oh. was killed in an explosion in Iskandariyah, Iraq, while on a mission to build schools and repair other infrastructure in the war-torn country, in Iraq.
He spent 8 1/2 years in the Army and was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, in which he earned the Bronze Star, among other honors.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, he was a CNS Specialist with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
Gregory is the beloved husband of Julie; devoted father of Jennifer, Megan and Peyton; dear son of Virginia Piecoro and William Fester; and son-in-law to Jack and Charlene Hammond; loving brother of Mindy (Fester) Lind and her husband, Brad and Lt. Col. Eric Fester, M.D., U.S.A.F. and his wife, Jennifer; brother-in-law to Julie's sisters, Jackie and her husband, Joe Whalen, Linda and her husband, Doug Frey, Beth and her husband, Jeff Ramsey. Greg is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Fester grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a close-knit community where he attended high school with his future wife, who was one year his junior. They began dating shortly after she graduated after "clicking" at a graduation party, friends said. The couple's 18th wedding anniversary would have been Monday.
He went to Ohio State University and was a loyal Buckeyes fan who moved several years ago to rival territory in Michigan.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gregory Fester Memorial Fund c/o 5th/3rd Bank, 475 Ada Dr., P.O. Box 311, Ada, Mich. 49301. All proceeds will be entrusted for scholarships for Greg's children.
The next care package being prepared for Gregory J. Fester contained a pink and yellow, flower-shaped dog toy for a pup he had adopted. "I'd be talking on the phone and I'd hear him say, 'Oh, hi, Snowball,'" said his wife, Julie Fester. "It was like no dog I'd ever seen _ white and straggly." Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was killed Aug. 30 by a bomb blast in Iskandariyah. He was based at Fort Bragg. The rest of the care package offered a picture of Fester: his three favorite magazines _ National Geographic, Car & Driver and Popular Mechanics _ and DVDs of the movie "Coach Carter" and the first two seasons of "Seinfeld." His wife also planned to send him a book of constellations. He loved the night sky and was always pointing out the Big and Little Dippers. "He said the sky was so clear over there," she said of Iraq. "You could see even more of the constellations." He attended Ohio State University and served in the Army for 8 1/2 years, including a stint in Operation Desert Storm, before taking a job in pharmaceutical sales at Pfizer Inc. He also is survived by his children Jenni, 16; Megan, 13; and Peyton, 6.
**Special thanks to Hope for adding a photograph of this American hero's memorial marker to his tribute.
***Heartfelt thanks on this Memorial Day 2015 go to Find A Grave contributor Stevan Rich who has sponsored my memorial for Gregory Fester. May your kindness be returned to you Sir, one hundred fold.
FESTER Gregory J. Fester.
On Tuesday, August 30, 2005, Gregory J. Fester, Major, U.S. Army, of Ada, Mich. and formerly of Westerville, Oh. was killed in an explosion in Iskandariyah, Iraq, while on a mission to build schools and repair other infrastructure in the war-torn country, in Iraq.
He spent 8 1/2 years in the Army and was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, in which he earned the Bronze Star, among other honors.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, he was a CNS Specialist with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
Gregory is the beloved husband of Julie; devoted father of Jennifer, Megan and Peyton; dear son of Virginia Piecoro and William Fester; and son-in-law to Jack and Charlene Hammond; loving brother of Mindy (Fester) Lind and her husband, Brad and Lt. Col. Eric Fester, M.D., U.S.A.F. and his wife, Jennifer; brother-in-law to Julie's sisters, Jackie and her husband, Joe Whalen, Linda and her husband, Doug Frey, Beth and her husband, Jeff Ramsey. Greg is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Fester grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a close-knit community where he attended high school with his future wife, who was one year his junior. They began dating shortly after she graduated after "clicking" at a graduation party, friends said. The couple's 18th wedding anniversary would have been Monday.
He went to Ohio State University and was a loyal Buckeyes fan who moved several years ago to rival territory in Michigan.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gregory Fester Memorial Fund c/o 5th/3rd Bank, 475 Ada Dr., P.O. Box 311, Ada, Mich. 49301. All proceeds will be entrusted for scholarships for Greg's children.
The next care package being prepared for Gregory J. Fester contained a pink and yellow, flower-shaped dog toy for a pup he had adopted. "I'd be talking on the phone and I'd hear him say, 'Oh, hi, Snowball,'" said his wife, Julie Fester. "It was like no dog I'd ever seen _ white and straggly." Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was killed Aug. 30 by a bomb blast in Iskandariyah. He was based at Fort Bragg. The rest of the care package offered a picture of Fester: his three favorite magazines _ National Geographic, Car & Driver and Popular Mechanics _ and DVDs of the movie "Coach Carter" and the first two seasons of "Seinfeld." His wife also planned to send him a book of constellations. He loved the night sky and was always pointing out the Big and Little Dippers. "He said the sky was so clear over there," she said of Iraq. "You could see even more of the constellations." He attended Ohio State University and served in the Army for 8 1/2 years, including a stint in Operation Desert Storm, before taking a job in pharmaceutical sales at Pfizer Inc. He also is survived by his children Jenni, 16; Megan, 13; and Peyton, 6.
**Special thanks to Hope for adding a photograph of this American hero's memorial marker to his tribute.
***Heartfelt thanks on this Memorial Day 2015 go to Find A Grave contributor Stevan Rich who has sponsored my memorial for Gregory Fester. May your kindness be returned to you Sir, one hundred fold.
