Their Story
Chester E. “Chet” Taylor was born on April 13, 1922, in Vernon County, Wisconsin, the son of Lawrence E. Taylor and Clara Agnes Johnson Taylor.[1] Chet did not attend high school but instead worked on a dairy farm until he enlisted in the Army on October 9, 1942, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2] Chet was assigned to the infantry.
After two years in the Army, he was wounded in Europe by an artillery shell fragment that entered his cheek and foot. Sergeant Taylor’s wounds were so severe that he was sent back to the United States and discharged[3] from the Army October 2, 1945.[4] For his service, Sergeant Taylor was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal.
After returning home, Chet married Elaine Marie Engler of Victory, Wisconsin, on June 21, 1945, in Sterling, Wisconsin.[5] The 1950 census lists a two-year old daughter, Sandra.[6]
The couple moved to Rock Island, Illinois, where Chet was employed by Fred Piehl Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Rock Island, and then 20 years at Strieter Motors dealership, Davenport.[7] He retired in 1984.
Chet was active in Grace Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa; Masonic Lodge 658; Scottish Rite, Valley of Moline; American Legion Post 246, Moline; Moose Lodge 190, Rock Island; and Thor Lodge 9, International Order of Vikings. He was also a 32nd Degree Mason.
Chester E. “Chet” Taylor was 69 when he died at home on May 14, 1990. Chet and Elaine are buried together at Rock Island National Cemetery (US Veterans Affairs Office, n.d.).
Chester E Taylor’s memorial page – Honor Veterans Legacies at VLM (va.gov)
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 – Ancestry.com
[1] Chester E “Chet” Taylor (1922-1990) – Find a Grave Memorial
[2] U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 – Ancestry.com
[3] Taylor, Chester E in U.S. WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954 – Fold3
[4] U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 – Ancestry.com
[5] Clipping from The La Crosse Tribune – Newspapers.com