Dry, Leonard Daniel 1907-2000

DRY, TAYLOR, FORSTER, SVERCL

Posted By: Bruce Atkinson (email)
Date: 11/2/2007 at 19:58:42

Leonard D. Dry Sr.
ARLINGTON, Va. – Leonard Dry, Sr., U.S. Army Master Sergeant (Ret.), 92, of Arlington Va., died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000, at his home from natural causes.
Mr. Dry was born in Lamotte Township, Crawford County, Ill., the son of Charles and Isabel (Taylor) Dry. He graduated from Hutsonville Township High School in 1925. He moved to Detroit Mich., where he worked for the Chrysler corporation for 10 years.
In 1942, Mr. Dry was drafted in the U.S. Army with the 3487th Ordinance as a driver and mechanic. He became General Eisenhower’s loyal driver for 20 years, beginning with the African Campaign, and staying with him through the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, SHAPE, Columbia University, the NATO Command, President of the United States, and retirement at Gettysburg, Pa.
Mr. Dry then retired from the U. S. Army and joined the U.S. Treasury for 15 years in which he drove for the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter Administrations.
During his retirement, Dr. Dry dedicated his time to volunteering at the schools. His motto was “Help somebody today.” The Arlington County Board pre¬sented his with several Outstanding Volunteer awards.
On April 27, 1946, he married Geraldine Cecilia Forster. She died in 1984.
Survivors include his daughter, Mary Alice Svercl of Arlington, Va.; his son, Leonard Daniel Dry Jr. of Gainesville, Fla., and four grandchildren. Also surviving are several cousins, including Eva Brown and Ralph Gabel of LeMars.
He was preceded in death by eight brothers and sisters, including Kenneth Dry, George Dry, and Edna Sweet, who lived in Johnson Township, Plymouth County.
A wake will be held Sunday, Jan. 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd. In Arlington. The funeral service will be held Tuesday, Jan. 18, at the Old Post Chapel, Ft. Meyer, Arlington, Va., followed by burial at Arlington National Ceremony.
Donations may be made to the Educational Fund at Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School, 6600 Little Falls Rd., Arlington, Va. 22213.
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LeMars Daily Sentinel (LeMars, Plymouth County, Iowa) of 01/13/2000.

Army Mechanic Leonard Daniel Dry Sr., 92
Served 20 Years as Driver for Eisenhower
Leonard Daniel Dry Sr., 92, a retired Army master sergeant who served 20 years as the personal driver for General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, died Jan. 5 at his home in Arlington after an apparent heart attack.
Mr. Dry, an Army mechanic, began his service as Eisenhower's driver in North Africa in 1942, and he remained with the general throughout the duration of World War II.
He went with Eisenhower to Sicily and then traveled with him to England for planning and preparation of the invasion at Normandy in June 1944. He served with Eisenhower as Allied Forces advanced through France and into Germany, and he was with Eisenhower at the schoolhouse in Rheims, France, when Germany surrendered in May 1945.
After the war, he accompanied Eisenhower on trips to Moscow and Rome. An Army unit gave Eisenhower a Mercedes-Benz convertible sedan that had been driven by Nazi air force chief Herman Goering, which Mr. Dry. drove for a period before Eisenhower gave up possession of the vehicle.
After the war, he was with Eisenhower when the general was president of Columbia University and at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe. During the Eisenhower presidency, he was a White House driver. After Eisenhower left office in 1961, he went with him to his retirement farm at Gettysburg, Pa.
In 1962, Mr. Dry. retired from active military service. He received a Bronze Star. He then became a civilian driver for the Secret Service. He retired after 15 years in that position.
Mr. Dry. was born in Lamotte Township, Crawford County, Ill. He was an auto worker with Chrysler Corp. for 10 years before the war.
His wife of 38 years, Geraldine Cecilia Forster Dry, died in 1984.
Survivors include two children, Mary Alice Svercl of Arlington and Leonard Daniel Dry Jr. of Gainesville, Fla.; and four grandchildren.
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© Copyright 2000 The Washington Post Company (Washington, District of Columbia) of 01/13/2000, Page B06.