Lee Earl Erminger

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Bill May & Wynne Stern on January 28, 2003:

-w, The memorial service for Lee Erminger took place as planned at 2 p.m., Saturday, January 25, 2003. Dona Erminger and their two sons, Mark (Cl ''74 USAFA) and Dan (a very talented artist as well as an engineer) were both present as well as Mark's wife, Cathy. Representing our class was Wynne Stern, Hugh Quinn, Bob Meisenheimer and Bob's lovely friend, Doris "Dee" Cassidy, and Bill May with his wife, Christine. Mark and Wynne, gave fine eulogies to honor the memory of Lee, and RC Flyer club members and fellow Lockheed-Martin workers made short but heart-felt remarks. Mark's eulogy was touchingly humorous, alluding to an event when Lee was taking an exam as an enlisted reserve private during his schooling at Perdue U. He believed that the exam was to lead to another reserve stripe. In fact, the test was for a West Point competitive appointment. He kept besting the competition, thus being required to take yet another exam. When he finally won and was offered the appointment, the person offering him the appointment assured him that since he had completed two years of college, he could enter West Point as a Junior! Lee entered with the Class of 1955 and was too polite to argue about the mistaken claim of the appointment representative. But the most touching eulogy was given by Wynne Stern and appears in electronic form here below. After the service a wonderful reunion gathering of the Class of 1955 member attending the service was held at the home of Bill and Christine May. Donny Erminger, Mark, Dan, Cathy Erminger, and the above noted classmates joined in a wonderful camaraderie that Lee would have understood. Donny seemed young again and as ever charming. It was a sad and yet wonderful occasion for all of us. Bill May ______________________________________________________________ Wynne Stern's Eulogy YISGADAL VYISKADASH SHMEI RABA IN MY TRADITION, THAT IS HOW OUR UNIVERSAL MEMORIAL PRAYER STARTS: IN TRANSLATION IT STARTS: "MAY G-D'S NAME BE EXALTED AND HALLOWED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD THAT HE CREATED, AS IS G-D'S WISH. "MAY G-D'S SOVEREIGNTY SOON BE ACCEPTED, DURING OUR LIFE AND THE LIFE OF ALL THE WORLD, "AND LET US SAY, AMEN." One notes immediately, when you read it in its entirety, this memorial prayer contains no words referring to the loss suffered... but, rather, it proclaims and glorifies G-D, and asks only for peace throughout the World. As such, it is a celebration of life...especially in the face of a loss such as our loss of LEE. And so, I take this opportunity to celebrate the life of LEE. For a moment or two, come back with me...to the years 1951-1955...to the days of KAYDET GREY. Members of the West Point Class of 1955...kids all, each somewhere between 17 -21 years of age. We were all wet behind the ears. Youngsters who, in 4 short years would join a long grey line of graduates from an institution which would change their very fibre. An institution which would weave a thread between, and among, all, that would last them for the rest of their lives. Lee was one of those kids. I, and others here today, joined Lee as a Plebe in the United States Corp of Cadets, Class of 1955. We were split up into 24 Companies...12 to each of 2 Regiments. Lee and I and...Bob Meisenheimer, Bill May and Hugh Quinn, who are here today. Lee, and I, Bob and Hugh were assigned to Company D-2.......Company D, 2nd Regiment...later to be known.......for good or bad....as the "party company". During those years...glorious and burdensome as they were, each of us were privileged to room with various Classmates. I had the good fortune, for sometime, to room with Lee. Lee, what an easygoing guy...settled, mature for his years. Always lounging at night in his PJs. Always entertaining himself with one project or another........and that Springfield ?03, that magnificent weapon from WWI which he would tenderly mold into a work of art. If you can indulge me with one criticism of Lee in those days...it was that he found academics...indeed, everything relating to West Point, soooooo easy..............WHILE I....I STRUGGLED SO. And then, there was Donnie... Memories of our West Point days would not be....could not be....complete without fond memories of Donnie, who came to work at West Point, to be with her LEE. Little did she know that she was NOT alone LEE?s sweetheart...in the hearts of the rest of us in D-2, she represented all of our sweethearts... but who, because of distance, we could not see, could not touch, and could not hold. And so, when I take that walk down memory lane, I remember today two among those many kids.......Donnie and Lee. G-d's love be with you both. Wynne Stern

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