In Memory of
Army Private First Class
Lawrence B. Elpert
Dolton, South Dakota
Turner County
December 21, 1906 - August 13, 1944
Killed in Action in Vire, France

Lawrence B. Elpert, the son of Jennie and Joseph Elpert, was born on December 21, 1906, in Dolton, South Dakota.  He also had a brother named Romon.  He grew up in Dolton and attended grade school in Dolton.  Lawrence attended high school at Bridgewater High, and he also went to General Beadle College and earned a degree in teaching.  He was a teacher for several years, mostly in Dolton.  In September 1940, he married Ruby Benda in Mitchell, South Dakota.  In 1941 Lawrence was appointed postmaster at the Dolton office.  He also took over the Elpert’s store in Dolton, after his father had a stroke in 1940. 

Then at Fort Crook, Nebraska, on December 22, 1943, Lawrence decided to serve his country as best he could and enlisted in the United States Army, and he was transferred to the Enlisted Reserve Corp. the same date.  He reported for active duty on January 12, 1944, at Leavenworth, Kansas, and left the United States for foreign service after a fifteen day leave at home.  However, he became Private Lawrence B. Elpert in Company K, of the 23^rd Infantry Regiment, of the 2^nd Infantry Division before being shipped overseas to France on July 15, 1944.

Private First Class Lawrence B. Elpert served his country well in France before falling victim to World War II, as he died in the line of duty on August 13, 1944, at Vire, France, about two weeks after he arrived in France.  He was buried at St. James U.S. Military Cemetery in France.

Private Elpert’s wife Ruby Benda remarried several years later and is living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as is Private Elpert’s first cousin Paul J. Elpert.  Although Paul only met Private Elpert once or twice, he knew his brother Romon pretty well.  Paul J. Elpert served in the Pacific during WWII, and when he was discharged he moved to Dolton and took over Private Elpert’s store and postmaster position.

This entry was respectfully submitted by Neil Kahl and Darrell Rice III, 11^th Grade, Parker High School, Parker, South Dakota, April 30, 2002.  Information for this entry was provided by Mr. Paul J. Elpert, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, first cousin of Private Lawrence B. Elpert.