BEYER, Arthur Otto William 1909-1965
BEYER, RACHUT, HICKS
Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 9/27/2009 at 19:43:07
Arthur O. [Otto William] Beyer
Rites at Immanuel Lutheran Monday
Committal services for Arthur O. Beyer 55, who died February 17 [1965] at his farm home near Buffalo, N. D. were held Monday, February 22 at 10 a.m. at the Immanuel Lutheran cemetery, St. Ansgar, with the Rev. Carl T. Wuerffel officiating. Military rites were conducted by the honor guard of the Walter T. Enneberg Post 358 of the American Legion.
Arthur Beyer, son of Richard and Anna (Rachut) Beyer was born May 20, 1909 on a farm near St. Ansgar. He was baptized in the Lutheran faith and confirmed April 9, 1922 by the Rev. Paul Brammer in the Immanuel Lutheran Church at St. Ansgar.
He attended grade school and at an early age assumed the responsibility of helping his widowed Mother with the farm work. Later he was employed as mechanic in the old Red Ball garage, which was then owned by Dan Sheehan.
In the 1930's he went to N. Dakota where he was employed, making his home with an uncle and aunt near Buffalo until 1939 when acquired an acreage near Detroit Lakes, Minn, where he lived until volunteering for and entering military service in 1941.
Following his induction at Ft. Snelling, Minn. he received his basic training at the Ft. Lewis, Wash. where he was assigned to Co. C. 603rd Tank Destroyer Battalion which became part of the Sixth Armored Division and later-on part of Gen. George Patton's famous Third Army in World War II.
Arriving with his unit in Europe in the Spring of 1944, he entered into combat at Omaha Beach on D-Day and for his bravery above and beyond the call of duty in the following months of battle he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal of Honor.
In a ceremony at the White House on August 27, 1945, Beyer then a Sargent, was one of the 28 Army heroes from 18 states and Canada to receive the Medal of Honor from President Truman. Among the families in attendance for the presentation were Arthur's brother and two sisters, brought to Washington, D. C. as guests of the U. S. Government.
Following his discharge from the service he returned to N. Dakota where he has lived since.
On March 3, 1962, he was united in marriage to Marion Hicks of Buffalo, N.D., the ceremony taking place at the Lloyd Hansen home in St. Ansgar.
He was preceded in death by his parents. Surviving are his widow, one brother, Edwin of Cedar Rapids; two sisters, Mrs. Thomas Zitnak (Verna) of Austin, Minn. and Mrs. Lloyd Hansen (Wilma) of St. Ansgar; one niece, three nephews and a number of cousins in the St. Ansgar vicinity.
Local relatives attending the military funeral services held Saturday in Valley City N.D. were Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Hansen, Mrs. Jerry Jordahl, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Beyer and David and Mrs. Ed Schultz of Mason City.
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Photo of Art, (on right) dated 1947, appeared in the Mitchell County Press in 1987. The other photo is of unknown origin.
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