Earl W. Fletcher

Earl W. Fletcher, 92, of Brush Valley died Saturday, May 11, 2013 at his home surrounded by his family. He was the son of the late Joseph and Edna (Lamar) Fletcher and was born January 9, 1921. Earl is a World War II Veteran and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Post #1989, Indiana. He was also a member of the American ExPOW since 1982, the Disabled American Veterans since 1972 and the Homer City American Legion. At the age of 16, Mr. Fletcher went to work in the coalmines at Tide for R&P Coal Company. He was drafted into the Army on November 6, 1942 and in 1943, he was sent to Casablanca, North Africa and Sicily. He was also stationed in Winchester, England and Normandy, France where we was captured and held as a prisoner of war until his liberation on April 26, 1945. Awards Earl earned include Combat Infantryman Badge, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, POW Medal, and European-African-Middle eastern Campaign Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII and WWII Victory Medal. Mr. Fletcher worked as a mechanic and farmer for the Nichol Turkey Farm in Indiana. He also drove bus for the Indiana Area School District. He later was employed by Old Home Manor Inc. to work as a farm mechanic and farmer. He later retired and opened a small engine repair shop in Brush Valley. He is survived by his two children, John W. Fletcher and his wife Gloria (Bates) of Presque, Maine and Pamela A. Fletcher Brink Buterbaugh and her husband John of Brush Valley; seven grandchildren, Cindy, Elaine, Julie, Jerry, Lisa, Jenny and Angie and 12 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Kenneth Fletcher and three sisters, Dorothy Gressley and Ethel Hoover both of Brush Valley and Sharon Ramsey of Orlando, Florida. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Bernice in 1999; daughter, Earlene J. (Fletcher) Brown in 1997; grandson, James (Jami) Brink in 2005. He was also preceded in death by his brothers, Joe, Robert and Paul. Friends will be received Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM at the C. Frederick Bowser Funeral Home, Homer City. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday at 11 AM with the Rev. R.A. Wallace, officiating. Interment to follow in the Greenwood Cemetery, Memorial Contributions may be made to the Visiting Nurses Association of Indiana County, 850 Hospital Road, Suite 3000, Indiana, PA 15701.