2LT Louise Grumbach (WWII)


Remembering 2LT Louise Grumbach (Barrackville)

July 7, 1917 - May 24, 1944

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Note: Louise is one of two WACs that I've found so far from Marion County who died during their time of service. It's also unclear whether her name was Ann(a) Louise or Louise Ann, it's printed either way in multiple locations. 

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Anna Louise Cestaric was born July 7, 1917 in Grant Town, WV, the daughter of Joseph and Marie (Dreskovich) Cestaric. Her parents were both from Yugoslavia, but immigrated to the United States around 1909. When she was born, her family was living at the Jamison Coal Company Settlement and her father was a coal miner (1920 census).  Anna was the middle child of five siblings, with two older brothers-- Joe, Jr. and John-- and two younger sisters -- Julia and Elizabeth.

Her family later moved to Green Township in Harrison County, Ohio (1930 census), where Joseph operated a grocery store. By 1935, they were back in Barrackville, with their address listed as "13 Barrackville and Pine Grove Highway." Joseph (Sr.) was working as a loader at the coal mine, and Anna (then 22) was working as a cashier at a retail store. Her older brothers were living at home while attending West Virginia University. Anna herself, a Barrackville High School graduate, completed one year of college.

According to her obituary, Anna (who appears to have gone by Louise professionally) joined the Women's Army Corps in December of 1942

Anna Louise Cestaric married Estle Howard Grumbach on July 24, 1943 in Cook County, IL. Estle, a fellow Barrackville graduate, was serving in the Navy at the time.

Unfortunately not much is known about Anna's time in the WAC, but a January 24, 1943 article from The Pittsburgh Press recorded that she left for training at Daytona Beach, Florida on January 23, 1943.

She was admitted to Walter Reed General Hospital on May 1, 1944, where she stayed for 24 days, until her death on May 24, 1944. She was only 26 years old. Her cause of death reads: "tumor, malignant, dysgerminoma, left ovary, with matastasis [sic] to lung, mediastinal nodes, peri-aortic nodes, pancreas, left adrenal, left kidney and supraclavicular nodes, cause undetermined, duration 3 months.

Estle accompanied her body back to West Virginia, where she was given a full military funeral in the Church of All Saints before being entombed at Woodlawn Cemetery in Fairmont.

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The Fairmont Times said of her death: 

"Lt. Grumbach Given Military Honors

Funeral services for 2nd Lieut. Louise A. Grumbach, Women's Army corps, who died in the Walter Reid hosptial, a few days ago, was held yesterday afternoon with services in the Church of All Saints. Lieutenant Grumbach was buried with military honors with the American Legion post in charge. Members of the legion acted as pallbearers. Burial was made in Woodlawn cemetery."

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Survivors and Legacy:

S1C Estle Howard Grumbach married Eleanor McBriar in 1947, and raised a family in Pennsylvania. Louise was also survived by her parents, still residing in Barrackville, and her siblings. Her brother, Joseph (who played football for WVU before the war) served in WWII. Her sister, Julia, was a nurse and Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. She was also survived by her brother John, and sister "Bettie."

2LT Louise Grumbach is honored on the WV State Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV.

A WVU research project about West Virginia Women in WWII records her as one of four West Virginia Women honored on the WV State Veterans Memorial to die in WAC service during WWII. The others include Veri Leith Williams (Harrison County), 1LT Anna Marie Fisher (Kanawha County), and PFC Edna C. McQuain (Gilmer County). Of those four, Williams and Fisher were killed in action. PFC Edna McQuain was a teacher at Barrackville High School from 1931-1940, before teaching at "Fairmont Junior High School."

Sources and More Information:

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