Verton R. Rockafellow
Verton R. Rockafellow. 1937 Merchantville High School Football Team.
Sergeant, U.S. Army
Serial: 13077234
115th Infantry Regiment
29th Infantry Division
Entered the Service from: New Jersey
Died: June 12, 1944
Awards: Purple Heart
5759 Rogers Avenue, Pennsauken, New Jersey
Introduction
Sergeant Verton R. Rockafellow was born in Rush County, Indiana in 1921. His family moved to the east coast in 1930. His father, also named Verton Rockafellow, was a World War I Army veteran, who had enlisted in the Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor. The elder Rockafellow, a sales manager for Pennsauken’s Parks Dairy in civilian life, was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. The Rockafellow family lived at 2224 42nd Street in Pennsauken NJ at the time of the 1930 census; they later moved to 5759 Rogers Avenue in Pennsauken.
Verton R. Rockafellow graduated from Pennsauken Junior High School and attended Merchantville (NJ) High School where he was a member of the football team in 1937. By this time the Rockafellow family was operating Parks Dairy, and Verton Rockafellow worked there before he enlisted in the United States Army at Philadelphia on March 24, 1942, going overseas in August of that year.
Verton Rockafellow was stationed in England in the summer of 1943, when his brother Alfred A. Rockafellow was rescued after his plane had been shot down off Sicily. While he was overseas, his father was elected commander of American Legion Post 125 in Pennsauken NJ, on September 29, 1943. Alfred Rockafellow went on to complete 55 missions as a member of a B-25 bomber crew.
Verton R. Rockafellow was killed in action in Normandy on June 12, 1944. His death was reported in the September 19, 1944 edition of the Camden Courier-Post. Brought home aboard the USAT Eric G. Gibson to New Jersey in January of 1948, he was buried near his home in Pennsauken shortly thereafter.
Verton Rockafellow’s brother Allen later married Lavinia Farquhar Gerke, widow of Second Lieutenant Wright E. Gerke, who also had been killed in action during World War II.
Veteran of 2 Wars Heads Legion Post
Camden Courier-Post —
Verton Rockafellow Seated as Commander of Pennsauken Unit
Verton Rockafellow, of 2224 Forty-second street, sales manager for a dairy, was installed as commander of Pennsauken Post No. 125, American Legion, at a ceremony in Delaware Gardens Fire Hall. Rockafellow is a veteran of both World Wars having served in the Army in the first war and having seen duty with the U.S. Marine Corps in the present conflict. He holds an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps after 10 months’ service. The new commander is also the father of two sons now serving in the armed forces. They are Sgt. Verton Rockafellow, in the air corps, and Corp. Verton Rockafellow, in the infantry. Both are out of the country.
O’Brien Installs
The installation ceremony for the Legion officers was conducted by Thomas O’Brien, recently elected county commander. Held jointly with it was an installation ceremony for officers of Post 125’s Auxiliary with Mrs. Samuel Magill, county Auxiliary president, acting as the installing officer. Other Legion officers installed include William Johnson, first vice commander; Joseph Hasenfus, second vice commander; Albert Moritz, adjutant, George W. Fritz, finance officer and Clarence Flohr, chaplain. Mrs. Bessie Grau was installed as president of the auxiliary; Mrs. A. Zimmerman, vice president; Mrs. Florence Flohr, secretary; Mrs. L. Jacoby, treasurer; Mrs. A. Gee, historian; Mrs. M. Freeley, chaplain, and Mrs. C. Baehr, sergeant-at-arms.
Appointments
After his installation, Rockafellow made the following appointments: William J. Gannon, historian; Cecil W. Rotzell, judge advocate; Leighton Smith, service officer; Paul A. Donahue, Americanization chairman; Hasenfus, Boy Scout chairman; Flohr, child welfare chairman; Joseph G. Freeley, civil defense chairman; Flohr, graves; Joseph Russo, junior baseball; Johnson, membership; Curtis R. Walter, publicity; Hasenfus, Sons of Legion; and Henry Williams, sergeant-at-arms. At a short business session the members discussed plans for the proposed post home to be located at Cove road and Lincoln avenue. Refreshments were prepared and served by Auxiliary members.