The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-06-13
IRA B. WALDRON

DdICcEg T., CdLle W All emu anu he
sleeps in his native soil awaiting the 4
last reveille. =
The funeral cortege left the under |
taking parlors of Roberts & Spencer
about quarter of twelve. A large |
number of relatives and friends of the |
dead soldier had come in from Fort |
Mccoy and vicinity and other sections |
of the county to accompany the body |
to its last resting place. The funeral
went to Fort Mccoy by way of Silver
Springs and the Orange Springs road,
arriving at the Fort Mccoy cemetery
just before two o'clock. On arriving
at the cemetery the body was placed
under the live oak trees near the con-
crete tomb in which it was to be
buried, and services were conducted
by Rev. Gus Padgett, pastor of the
Baptist church of Fort Mccoy. The
casket was then placed in the concrete
tomb
The following ex-service men acted
as pail bearers: DIR. c. W. Moremen,
commander of Marion County Post
No. 81 of the American Legion, Louis
H Chazal, adjutant of the post, Sam
Smith, Nelson Dosh, William k.
Bailey, II. G. Shealy, Frank Churchill,
Ocala, l.. K. Vause and F. Vause,
Citra, and ]. w. Stephens, Fort Nc
Coy, the first seven representing Mar
ion County Post No. 81 of the Ameri-
can Legion.
Ira B. Wa!dron. a young farmer of
Bay Lake, 25 years old at the time of
his enlistment, entered the service
June 26, 1915; trained for few
weeks at Camp Jackson, then went
with his battery overseas, arriving in
France at the height of the closing
| struggle of the war. Was stricken
with illness while his battery was in
rest camp at Eponey, and died at the
base hospital at Camp Vaudon, Oct.
II. His parents received the news of
his death a month later, on armistice
| day, and while they rejoiced with the
nation for its victory, their hearts
ached sorely for their brave boy,
whose life was one of the offerings
upon the altar of patriotism.
Beside his parents, Private Wal
dron left the following kin: Two
brothers, Raleigh Waldren of Bay
Lake and Bailey Waldron of Burbank;
three sisters, Miss Donnie Waldron
of Bay Lake, Mrs. A. E. Gnann of
Gainesville, and his twin sister, Clara,
now Mrs. R, L. Geiger, of Jackson
vile.
The following letter from COM
rade in the A. E. F. is among the
most sacred treasures of Mr.. and Mrs
Waldron:
Saint Blois, France. Nov. 80, 1918
Dear Mrs. Waldron: 1t is a very
difficult task to write you but the
boys of our battery wish that we ex-
pres sour sympathy to you on account
of your dear son and our esteemed
know him we'll. We both entered this
battery about the same time anC
travelled from Camp Jackson to New
York city in the same seat in the
train. In France we were in the same
billet. The writer is president of the
battery Bible class and is in position
to know that Ira was fine Christian
boy. He kept himself clean'an abov,
all the temptations that surrounded
the boys in France. He told me man!
intimate things about his home ant
homefolks. He described the farm
down in Florida so well that the write
almost envied him the privileges o
such home.
Perhaps you would like to know
something about the trip that we al
took together. The censorship ha
now been removed so that dates an
places may be mentioned.
We left Camp Jackson Friday eve
ming about Sis on July &c. Arrive
in Richmond, Va, the next noon b
Atlantic Coast Line. Marched throug
Richmond. Proceeded to Washington
d. c., arriving about 5 p. m. LET
Washington about p. m. Passe
thru Baltimore, Md, about 9 p. m
thru Philadelphia about 2 a. m. an
arrived in Jersey City, N j., at {
m. the next morning. Sailed aroun
lower Manhattan Island and UP tn
East river to Long Island railway sta
ton and took train to Camp Mills, |
/. Arrived in Camp Mills about 8 !
m. Sunday, July 18th, and left ther
about 9 a. m. Monday, Aug. 5. Too
train back to Brooklyn and then ferr
boat to Cunard Line piers on Yves
side of Manhattan Island. Boarde
the great Cunard liner "Aquitania
at .. m. The big boat was united {
5 p. m. sharp and we steamed dow
the Hudson river with bands playin
and people cheering from the sho1
and the ferryboats in the river. "
made our way down past the Statu
of Liberty and soon put out to sea