Photos-15
Raphael Howard YERBY
In May 2016, I received an email from Rodney Yerby, son of Raphael Howard Yerby, one of the men of the 841st. He shared information about his Dad, some photos and memories of the company, and some about the reunions that had been held.
Per his WWII Draft Registration form, Raphael was born 4 June 1925 in Fayette Co. AL, near the AL/Mississippi state line.
The 841st Company Roster notes him as being from Covin, Alabama, a small community in that county, west of Birmingham.
After the war he lived briefly in Birmingham, then returned to Fayette County, where he lived the rest of his life.
This composite photo was used to help me identify the men. I had taken the large group photo (see Photo # 11) and labeled each with a number.
This is still a slow 'work in progress'. But I believe #45 on the left is Raphael. I think his great head of hair, hairline, nose, ears and chin match perfectly. What do you think?
As an added note, son Rodney mentioned that as he was growing up, he remembers his Dad as bald. He never knew his Dad had such hair until seeing some of these older photos!
The 841st Ordnance Depot Company was formed and officially activated at Fort Knox, KY on June 24 1943. This KY Army base was where it all began in October 1943, when about 180 new recruits arrived to begin basic training,
By 2004, few of the 206 men listed in the Roster were living or unable to travel, so the 841st held its final company reunion in June 2004 at Fort Knox, KY.
The following photos are from that last reunion, taken by Rodney Yerby, son of Raphael.
and the 841st guidon, encased in plexi.
In June 2008. Raphael Yerby's children and family took him and their step mom back to France. They were in Normandy on the anniversary of D-Day. Raphael's son, Rodney recalled thinking, at one of the cemeteries, that most of the people buried under all those white crosses were about the same age as his own two teen-aged sons, or very slightly older.
This next photo is a favorite of mine, from the D-Day Memorial Celebration on Utah Beach on June 6, 2008. In this photo, a young French boy, dressed in a US WWII era replica army uniform, is asking Raphael Yerby if he can have his photo taken with him, and asking for his autograph.
And here is a Yerby family group photo on Utah Beach, France in June 2008.
Raphael Howard Yerby, 88, passed away on March 29, 2014, after complications from heart surgery.
After the war, he had returned to the part of Alabama where he was born, to live, work and raise his family. Among other positions, he retired from the Alabama Highway Dept after 32 years.and Nelson Funeral Home after 25 years.
He had been active in his local church, the Fayette VFW post 5406, and the Fayette Civitan Club.
He was preceded in death by his first wife of 27 years, Wilma Lindsey Yerby, and mother of their 3 children: Rodney, Frederick and Regina.
Survivors include his 3 children, his wife of 33 years, Sue, and many, many other Yerby relatives (grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc.).
See his memorial on Find-A-Grave at this address: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/127086626/raphael-howard-yerby