Ashland's Pfc. Sanford Keith Bowen laid to rest 77 years after being killed in WWII
Tears welled in the eyes of strangers Friday as soldiers carried the casket of Army Pfc. Sanford Keith Bowen to the final resting place.
War had taken Bowen from Ashland 80 years ago at the age of 24. He became a radio operator, got married and eventually reported to the front lines.
Nazi troops killed him on Jan. 20, 1945, near Reipertswiller, France.
Coming home: 80 years after leaving home, soldier to be buried between wife and son he never met
For 77 years, Bowen's remains were unidentified.
On Friday, he finally was laid to rest between his wife and the son he never got to meet.
Always dreamed of coming home
Family were joined by nearly 100 appreciators Friday afternoon inside the chapel at Ashland University.
Bowen's only living descendants — granddaughter Lisa Bowen Simpson of North Ridgeville, granddaughter Lori Reinbolt of Creston, and great-grandson Austin Miller of Fort Collins, Colorado — accepted the hero's Bronze Star Medal and his Purple Heart.
Having the funeral service in the soldier's hometown was fitting, considering that returning to Ashland was Bowen's greatest wish on the battlefield, Army Brig. Gen. Stephen Rhoades told the audience.
"Seventy-seven years is a long time to be away from home," Rhoades said. "Every soldier I know, home is what we always think about."
Bowen learned of his son's birth just two months before his own death. A black-and-white photo of the boy was the closest he ever came to seeing his son.
Before going to battle the final time, Bowen bought a postcard of a French soldier returning home to his bride, and mailed it to his own wife, Ginny Bowen, half a world away.
"Dearest wife," Rhoades read from Bowen's postcard. "When I see this, I wonder if you will greet me with open arms."
The note, the general said, was a reminder that soldiers in WWII were away from home for years with no phone calls. They didn't want to become strangers in the homes where they so badly longed to be.
"His words really mean something," Rhoades said. "They still mean something today."
Identifying his remains through forensic analysis, which led to the return to Ohio fulfilled the wish Bowen had penned on that postcard eight decades prior.
"His dream of coming home is finally here," Rhoades said.
'He married the love of his life'
Bowen's wife, Ginny, remarried. His son, grew up and had two daughters of his own.
"My mother knew him," Dr. JoAnn Ford Watson of Ashland University told the audience. "They grew up in the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland together."
When news arrived that Bowen had been killed in action, his name was engraved on the congregation's altar cross, along with the names of other Ashland boys who were killed during the war.
Although the nation is indebted to Bowen for his sacrifice, his family is here today because of the choices he made after being drafted.
"He married the love of his life," Watson said.
Bowen's descendants may have never met him, but they are a testament of the love he shared with Ginny.
"You carry on the legacy of your grandfather and great-grandfather," Watson told them.
Another story that should never be forgotten is that of Ginny Bowen.
"A young widow who lost her husband at war at the age of 26," Watson said. "For the rest of her life, she grieved him."
'An unbelievable opportunity'
Bowen's remains were taken to Mount Hope Cemetery in Shiloh to be buried between his wife and son. Along the route, people who never knew him held flags and waved as the processing passed by.
"The most emotional part for me was when Gen. Rhoades presented the flag to me," Bowen Simpson, said. "That was very emotional."
The number of people who paid their respects who didn't know Bowen was much appreciated by the family.
"It's like a celebration," said Simpson. "That's what it should be."
The idea of laying there grandfather to rest was something they had never really considered until the past year.
"It's an unbelievable opportunity," said Reinbolt. "It has opened up a door for us to get to know him and hear stories about him and understand his military service that we didn't know."
The service Friday has allowed the family to finally bring closure to what had been a mystery for 77 years.
"The moment that got to me today was when the bagpipe player was playing as he was leaving the chapel," Reinbolt said. "The finality of it all."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ashland hero Bowen laid to rest 77 years after being killed in WWII
