Cemetery in Europe looking for family of Merced man who died during World War II
A woman from Northern Europe who helps manage a cemetery that honors American military service members from World War II is seeking the public’s help in finding the family of one of the soldiers buried there.
Esther de Vet works at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten and is looking for the family of Eugene Debs Whitley, a U.S. Army private who lived in Merced before the war.
Whitley died in battle on Nov. 19, 1944, in Kellersberg, Germany.
“I visit his final resting place regularly to honor his sacrifice, but I have one big wish: I would love to find a photo of him to give him a face,” de Vet said in a message to the Sun-Star.
De Vet said Eugene Debs Whitley was the son of Thomas Hiram Whitley and Catherine Whitley (born Evans). He was married to Virginia Whitley and had a brother named Rupert V. Whitley (1910–1983), who lived in the Merced and Sacramento areas.
Anyone with information about Whitley or his family is asked to email de Vet at erm.devet@hotmail.nl.
She is looking for photos or any information about Whitley’s life before the war.
Whitley was born Aug. 18 1913, and lived in Merced, according to records found online. He was a member of the 743rd Tank Battalion.
According to the American Battle Monuments Commission, the Netherlands American Cemetery includes the graves of more than 8,300 U.S. soldiers and more than 1,700 names on the Walls of the Missing.
“It means the world to me to show his family that he is still remembered and honored here in the Netherlands after 80 years,” de Vet said in the message.
