Harold “Holly” Rausch, age 95, of Nashua, Iowa, died Sunday, June 20, 2021, at his home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 24, 2021, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory – Olson Chapel in Nashua, with Rev. Drew McHolm officiating.

Interment will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery, Nasha with Robert Rausch, Margaret Rausch, Mark Moine, Drew Moine, Larry Prohaska, Clay Winowiecki, and Lynn Schluter serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Dick White, Harold Begeman, and Ron Ulrichs.

Friends may greet the family from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory – Olson Chapel in Nashua. Visitation continues an hour prior to the service at the Funeral Home on Thursday.

Holly Rausch’s long and remarkable life began on March 12, 1926, when he was welcomed into the world by his parents, Edwin and Laura Rausch, in New Hampton.

His family lived in Waterloo until he was 4 before moving to the Nashua area, where Holly attended school, helped out around the farm, made plenty of friends, and landed a part-time job at the post office while he was in high school.

Holly turned 18 in 1944, and he knew the chances that he would be drafted into the service were high, so he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. As he said years later in a newspaper interview, by enlisting, he could at least pick the branch of service. He attended basic training in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and was assigned to the USS Franklin, an aircraft carrier nicknamed “Big Ben.”

He served as a mail carrier on the Franklin, a ship that went to hell and back in the Pacific. Three times, Big Ben was hit by Japanese kamikaze pilots, but the worst attack it suffered came a week after Holly turned 19 when Big Ben was hit by two armor-piercing bombs while it was launching aircraft to bomb the Japanese mainland. More than 800 sailors died during the attack, and Holly, like the rest of the survivors, not only made sure their ship didn’t sink but tended to the wounded and identified the dead.

March 19, 1945, was a defining moment in the life of Holly, for he learned the true meaning of “freedom is not free.” Years later, he refused to ever say “I’m having a bad day” because he knew what a real “bad day” looked like.

After the war, he received his honorable discharge and moved back to Nashua, where he met a beautiful young gal named Ruby Schluter. He asked her to join him for coffee a few times, they began dating, fell in love, and were married on Dec. 10, 1950, in Burlington.

Holly worked as a railway mail clerk in Southeastern Iowa city, and the couple welcomed one child, Stephen, who to this day will tell you that he grew up with a father who epitomized fun. Holly loved spending time with his wife and son, be it at home after work or on family vacations they regularly took.

When the Post Office took the mail “off” the railroad, Holly transferred to Nashua, where he worked for more than 20 years, eventually becoming the city’s postmaster until his retirement in 1985. All told, he dedicated 37 1/2 years — including his time on the Franklin — to making sure the mail got through.

But Holly was much more than a postman. He loved his community and played an active, vibrant role in it. He served on the Nashua City Council for years, he was a longtime member of the VFW, American Legion, Nashua Town, and Country Club, and Lions Club. He also was a Mason and belonged to the National Postmasters Associations.

Holly was, in a word, social. He loved people, and once he met someone, he never forgot them. Sixty years after he last saw someone, he could tell you where they lived, who they were married to, where they worked and how many kids they had. He had a gift for walking up to a perfect stranger, striking up a conversation, and making them feel like they had been lifelong friends.

After he retired, Holly and Ruby traveled even more, and it didn’t matter if he was in Nashua, Europe or Asia, he had the gift of gab and the ability to make anyone — be it his friends of 70 years or someone he met a minute ago — feel like they were important.

He loved his Euchre card games, tending to one of the most beautiful yards in all of Nashua and giving back to his community.

Holly and Ruby celebrated 70 years of marriage — “all to the same woman, too,” Holly joked — this past year, and they were blessed with two grandchildren, Robert and Margaret. Holly adored them both and Margaret’s fiancé, Clay Winowiecki, was definitely an honorary grandchild, too.

Holly remained sharp until the very end, and even as the end neared, he still had that smile and the glint in his eyes that was pure Holly Rausch.

A veteran who served his country with honor, a husband who loved his wife for 70 years, a father who gave his son the gift of time, a grandfather who provided so much fun in his grandchildren’s lives, and a community member who gave so much to the city he called home, Holly will be missed dearly.

The world was indeed a better place for the last 95 years because Holly Rausch was in it; however, his legacy will live on for years to come.

Holly is survived by his wife of 70 years, Ruby Rausch of Nashua, IA; one son, Stephen Rausch of Nashua, IA; two grandchildren, Robert Rausch, Margaret (Clay Winowiecki) Rausch.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Robert & Kenneth Rausch; three sisters, Edna Ashcroft, Ruth Niley, and Effie Rausch.

Matthew M. Little, 93, of Montclair, N.J., departed this life on Nov. 9, 2018.
A celebration of his life will be held on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, at 11 a.m. at the Mt. Teman A.M.E. Church, 160 Madison Ave., Elizabeth, N.J., Rev. George E. Britt, pastor. Arrangements are in the loving care of the Nesbitt Funeral Home 165 Madison Ave., Elizabeth.
Mr. Little leaves a loving family and dear friends.

Published by The Star-Ledger on Nov. 14, 2018.

Russell E. Gettemy, 99, passed away Tuesday, April 19, 2022. A man’s life is measured in years, but a better scale would weigh his measure of devotion, and Russell E. Gettemy surely gave his fullest measure of devotion throughout his life: to God, country, family and friends. Born Jan. 25, 1923, in South Greensburg, he was proud to be a Hufftown boy. He spent his youth in pursuit of fun and friendship, picking up the nickname “Pokey.” He always had time to carouse and stir up trouble. When his country called in the world’s hour of need, he proudly took his place, joining the ranks of the Navy to fight with the Greatest Generation. Valiant and ever brave, he served as a gunner aboard the U.S.S. Franklin in World War II. He rarely spoke of his time aboard ship, but when he did, he never spoke of his own contributions, but instead, he spoke of the brave acts of his brothers-in-arms. And when the war was over, he was swept away by his love for Sara, who became his wife, his beloved Sally. He always testified that she saved him. Together they built their own nest, raising their children. He worked and retired from Robertshaw Corp. and served at Christ Church. They lived a happy life, where their dance moves had people clearing the floor and their infectious laughter brought happiness to countless others. Big R’s devilish grin charmed everyone he ever met, and his feisty nature demanded deep affection and commanded fierce loyalty. He made friends out of strangers and spent cheerful hours with favorite pastimes: golf, long drives (later resulting in attempts at grand theft auto after age took away his keys!) and his favorite pastime of all, watching life move all around him from the comfort of his porch (otherwise known as nosy-neighbor snooping). He was amazed at how quickly life moved (“Things change!”) and always happy to see his family and friends. His eyes would light in recognition of a loved one, he grinned, and his hands would lift to welcome them for a chat. “I’ve been thinking of you!” he would say, and it always rang true, because he would ruminate daily on his loved ones. Oftentimes, he was irreverent and cantankerous. He felt a certain rambunctious joy flipping “the bird” and teasing endlessly. He lived 99 years, two months and 25 days on this earth, and according to those closest to him, those years weren’t quite enough. He passed into Paradise peacefully, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, surrounded by loved ones, prayers, tears and laughter. He was greeted and ushered into Heaven by his wife, Sally; his daughter, Gigi; his great-grandson, Alex; his mother and father, George and Essie; and his siblings, Francis, Calvin and Margaret. He will be greatly missed by his sons, Matthew and Robert (Iris); by his grandchildren, Gwen (George), Sara (David), Joshua (Heather), Tara, Danielle, Margaret and Alaina; by his great-grandsons, Collin and Landon; by his special neighbor and adopted daughter, Kim (Brent); and by the many other friends and family whose lives he touched. Life is changed, not ended, and he goes to that place that has been prepared for him in the heavens. We know that at that Table, where death is no more, Granddad waits for us, to share a cookie, a cup of coffee with hazelnut cream and a truly fantastic game of gin-rummy, where he’ll beat the pants off everyone. We love you, and your legacy of devotion will live on, until we meet again. Friends will be received for visitation from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., with the service beginning at 1:30 p.m., Monday, May 9, 2022, at Christ Church at 145 N. Main St., Greensburg. Committal at St. Clair Cemetery will directly follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alexander Moreland Memorial Scholarship Fund by going online to pittsburghfoundation.org/donate and entering Alexander Moreland in the search bar, or by mailing a check made out to the Pittsburgh Foundation (include Alexander Moreland Memorial Scholarship Fund in the memo field), and mail to the Pittsburgh Foundation, Five PPG Place, Suite 250, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Published by Tribune Review on May 8, 2022.

DESMOND – Patrick Allen Desmond, 95, was born Oct. 15, 1926, in Nantucket, Mass., and died June 26, 2022, in Henderson, Nev.

A World War II combat veteran, Pat entered the U.S. Navy from West Haven, Conn., in October 1943. His military career spanned 10 years, leaving the service in 1953 as a chief fire control technician. He served on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV13) as a member of the pre-commissioning detail at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and remained aboard “Big Ben” during her short, but highly decorated service to our nation.

Pat saw combat in the South Pacific on numerous occasions, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Later, while attacking Japan’s Honshu Island and Kobe Harbor on March 19, 1945, the USS Franklin (CV13) suffered a devastating Japanese bomber attack in which two 500-pound armor-piercing bombs resulted in the ship being dead in the water less than 50 miles from the Japanese’s mainland. Casualties that day were 724 killed and 264 wounded. Pat was one of 704 members to return to the United States aboard the injured USS Franklin (CV13), which was cited as the most badly damaged U.S. Navy ship to ever return under her own power, arriving at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945.

Pat was later assigned as an instructor at the Gunnery Officer Ordnance School in Washington, D.C., where he taught fire control systems to U.S. Naval officers, as well as foreign naval officers for many years.

Pat’s civilian work experience subsequent to his leaving the Navy spanned 36 years with three employers, Corvey Engineering Company of Washington, D.C., RCA Service Company of Alexandria, Va., and Vitro Laboratories of Silver Spring, Md. Pat spent 30 years with Vitro Laboratories, eventually retiring in 1986 as a vice president from their 600-person facility in Oxnard, Calif.

Following retirement, Pat and his wife Janet relocated to Bullhead City, Ariz., and later, eventually settling down in Henderson, Nev., in 2000.

Pat was most proud of his two sons, Patrick and Michael. Patrick retired from the U.S. Army Special Forces as a major; Michael retired from the U.S. Navy as a master chief petty officer.

Pat hoped to be remembered for his pride of his Irish heritage, his love of Irish jokes, his fondness for Guinness, and his exhortation of Jeeze Peeze.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Janet B. Desmond of Henderson, Nev.; former wife, Laura C. Desmond of St. Marys, Ga.; sisters Barbara Desmond McDonnell of New Haven, Conn., and Anne Desmond Abele of Mesa, Ariz.; and beloved grandson, Patrick W. Desmond of Viera, Fla.

He is survived by his brothers, Donald D. (Hazel) Desmond of Melbourne, Fla., and Brian H. (Louise) Desmond of Warrenton, Va.; sons, Patrick C. (Colleen) Desmond of Viera, Fla., and Michael D. (Susan) Desmond of Henderson, Nev.; stepson, Robert A. Gonano III of Johns Island, S.C.; grandchildren, Julie Desmond Daily of Viera, Fla., Jamie Desmond Thurston of Hudson, N.H., and Andrew M. Desmond of Eugene, Ore.; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

If so desired, memorial contributions may be made to University Medical Center Children’s Hospital Foundation, Attn: Destiny Hampton, 1800 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 508, Las Vegas, NV 89012. Checks should be payable to: UMC Foundation. Online donation option available.

Pat will be interred at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, Clark County, Nev. Arrangements entrusted to the Boulder City Family Mortuary, Boulder City, NV 89005.