Edward LaRue Essex was born on April 10, 1917, in Dow City, Crawford County, Iowa. He was the son of Harry Alfred Essex and Grace Annis Dixon Essex. He graduated from Marcellus High School in 1936 and afterward completed a short course in agriculture in Lansing, with plans to pursue a career in dairy farming. Those plans were interrupted when he was called to military service on April 27, 1942. After entering the Army, Sgt. Essex trained at Camp Custer and later at Camp Livingston, Louisiana. He subsequently volunteered for overseas duty and served in England and Ireland for 25 months. He was then returned to the United States for additional training before being redeployed overseas, where he served in England, France, Belgium, and Germany. He served in Company G, 271st Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division, as a Sergeant during World War II.

Sgt Essex was Killed in Action on April 16, 1945, during the Battle of Weißenfels in Germany. He is now buried in the Crane Cemetery, Volinia, Cass County, Michigan, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com