Edward E. Paetz

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Branch: U.S. Army

Serial: O-674391

Unit: 369th Fighter Squadron

Entered the service from: New Jersey

Died: May 4, 1943

Buried at: Arlington Cemetery, Cove Road, Pennsauken NJ

Second Lieutenant Edward E. Paetz was born in 1921, the son of Leslie Earle and Ada M. Paetz. He was born in New Jersey and grew up at 1812 44th Street. At the time of the 1930 census, Leslie Paetz was working as an operator at a publishing company. The family at that time also included an older sister, Lillian, and an aunt, Mary Caskey. At the end of the street at 1860 44th Street lived the Halpin family; their son, Joseph Halpin, would also be lost during the war. Edward Paetz starred in baseball and track while in high school.

Edward E. Paetz trained as a fighter pilot. He had been commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and was participating in a training flight when he was forced to parachute from his aircraft near Kingston NH on May 2, 1943. Seriously injured, he was taken to a hospital in Exeter NH. His parents were notified, and they rushed to his side, to naught, for Lt. Paetz died on May 4, 1943.

The death of Edward E. Paetz was reported in the Camden Courier-Post on May 5, 1943. His funeral service was held at a funeral home at 4522 Westfield Avenue in Pennsauken NJ. Edward Paetz was laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery, on Cove Road in Pennsauken NJ.

An American Legion Post, Manall-Paetz Post 461 in Pennsauken, was named for him and Private First Class Frank Manall. This Post fielded a dominant American Legion baseball team in the early 1950s and won the New Jersey State Championship in 1951.