Surnames: Stuve

----Source: OWEN ENTERPRISE (Owen, Clark County, Wis.) 10/21/1943

Stuve, Franklin H. (5 JUL 1920 - 20 OCT 1943)

Mr. and Mrs. Howell Stuve received a message from the War Department Wednesday evening telling of the death of their son, Ensign Franklin H. Stuve, which occurred Wednesday morning off Tillamook Rock, Ore. He was a member of the 5th Composite Squadron of the Navy Air Force.

The message read:

Deeply regret to inform your son Franklin H. Stuve died today at 10:20 a.m. as a result of water crash, Tillamook Rock, Ore. Remains not recovered. Deepest sympathy in your great loss.

Signed, Commanding Officer

Ensign Stuve and his wife were residing at Seaside, Ore., while he was doing routine flying with fighter planes and bombers.

He entered the service in May 1942, and was graduated May 12 , 1943 from the Naval Air Training Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, and was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He received his preliminary flight instruction at the Olathe, Kansas Reserve Air Base.

(Follow on in 11/4/1943 Owen Enterprise)

Memorial services were held at Humbird (Clark Co., Wis.), at the Methodist Church Sunday afternoon in memory of Ensign Franklin H. Stuve, U.S.N.R., who lost his life Oct. 20 when the plane he was operating in maneuvers was seen to leave the formation and plunge into the Pacific Ocean about eight miles off the coast near Astoria, Oregon. The other planes in the squadron circled the scene of the disaster until boats from the Coast Guard Station, accompanied by a crash plane reached the scene but only a small amount of wreckage and an oil slick were observed.

Ensign Stuve was born in Humbird July 5, 1920, and with the exception of the last three years had spent all of his life there. He was graduated from the Humbird High School with the class of 1938.

He enlisted in the Naval Air Corps in May 1942, and was given his pre-flight training at Iowa City, Iowa. From there he was sent to Olathe, Kansas, and then to Corpus Christi, Texas, where he was awarded his wings and commissioned in May of this year.

He is survived by his widow, a bride of but five months; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Howell A. Stuve of Owen; six sisters and three brothers. One brother is a seaman serving somewhere in the Pacific area. One sister, Lieut. Phyllis M. Stuve, is a nurse with the 44th general hospital unit in Australia.

The services were conducted by the Rev. W.T. Fensome, former pastor of the Free Methodist Church in Humbird.