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- Obit from Adrian Daily Telegram states:
Adrian - Richard E. Case, 78, of Adrian, died Thursday, July 5, 1990 at Bixby Medical Center. He was born FEb. 22, 1912 in Ogden Center, to Richard and Grace (McBride) Case. He married Lucille Gritzmaker FEb. 16, 1946. She survives.
He served in the U.S. Navy after graduating from Adrian High School in 1930. He was a member of the WEst Rome Baptist Church.
Along with his wife, Mr. Case is also survived by two sons, Richard Gritzmaker of Tecumseh and Delbert Gritzmaker of Addison; one daughter, Betty Roberts of Tecumseh; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded by one brother, Hal, and two granddaughters.
The funeral service will be Saturday at L:00 p.m. at the Braun Bros. Funeral Home, Rev. Keith Corbin officiating. Burial will be at the Lenawee Hills Memorial Park, Adrian with military graveside honors by the C.A.V. Lenawee Chapter 20. Friends may call at the funeral home, today from 2-4 and 7-9 P.M.
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An article in the Adrian Daily Telegram in 1945 states:
ADRIAN QUARTERMASTER'S SHIP CARRIES SADDLE TO ADM. HALSEY
Richard Emmett Case, 30 years old, is the son of Clinton Case of Winter Street. He enlisted in the US Navy March 15, 1942 and recently completed his basic training at Great Lakes. He is now training as a signalman at the University of Chicago. He was graduated from Adrian High School with the Class of 1930 and was employed at the Gerity-Adrian Corp. before his enlistment.
Having the famous silver saddle that the people of Reno, Nev. sent to Admiral Halsey on board his ship, the USS Catamount, was a big thrill as well as a responsibility for Richard E. Case, quartermaster 3-C, of Adrian, in a letter written to James J. Gerity his former employer, Case tells of being in on the "big show" in Japan.
Case, the son of R. C. Case of Adrian and Mrs. F. J. Brown of Sylvania, has more than enough points for a discharge and his biggest hope now is to return to the states by way of the Panama Canal so that he will be able to say that he has been around the world. In the Mediterranean when Italy surrendered, he was cited for bravery for landing combat troops during the invasion of Sicily.
Case's ship was in San Pedro Bay in the Phillippines waiting for orders to load on Aug. 14 when the Japanese accepted our surrender terms. Instead they sailed unloaded for Guam where they took on supplies and marine units.
Excerpts from his letter follow: "Everything we loaded was priority stuff. Admiral Nimitz's barge was on board. Is it a beauty, yeah man, even to the five stars on the bow. We also had his car which is a blue Plymouth and General Spaatz's car which is also a Plymouth but is painted the regular army brown. Brace yourself for here is the main article we loaded and we hope he uses it for what it was made for. It was the saddle addressed to Admiral Halsey from the People of Reno, Nev. We hope he gets the white horse to put it on."
Case then writes of his ship joining the Third Fleet some time later for the entrance into Tokyo Bay. While the saddle was being transferred to another ship, the sea was rough and Case was the quartermaster at the wheel. "The captain said that if we lost the saddle we might as well all jump overboard!" he wrote.
The captain also ordered Case to take the wheel for the entrance into Tokyo Bay. "Believe you me, when he gives you a course to steer, he doesn't want you to go to the right or left of it. But he didn't have to worry about me getting off the course. You see there were still some mines around and I've more than enough points to be discharged. Also it was no time to request survivor's leave."
In conclusion, Case told of watching the surrentder ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri through binoculars.
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In the Daily Telegram, Thursday, February 20, 1986:
Adrian - Mr. and Mrs. Richard Case celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on FEb. 16. Lucille Gritzmaker and Richard Case were married in Adrian by the REv. William Jennings. They have three children, Mrs. BEtty Roberts of Tecumseh, Richard Gritzmaker of Jasper and Delbert Gritzmaker of Adrian. They also have 7 grandchildren and 8 gt grandchildren.
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