This memorial page is dedicated to Stanley F. Marek, one of more than 725 war victims connected to the municipality of Deurne documented by Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers. The municipality of Deurne and the surrounding villages of Liessel, Vlierden, Helenaveen, Neerkant and Zeilberg were liberated in the autumn of 1944 during heavy fighting. Victims fell on all sides: Allied soldiers from countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, and German soldiers.

But the archive covers more than just the combat victims on Deurne soil. Residents of Deurne who lost their lives elsewhere are also commemorated: civilians who were murdered in concentration camps, forced labourers who died in Germany, people who were executed or succumbed to the effects of persecution and oppression. In addition, residents of Deurne who entered German military service and were killed elsewhere are also included.

Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers has been documenting the story of all these people since 1995, without distinction of nationality, side or background. The goal is to give every person a name and a face, and to keep their memory alive.

 

Name: Marek
First names: Stanley F.
Nickname: –
Date of birth: 5 June 1919
Place of birth: –
Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Rank / Occupation: Staff Sergeant
Identity tag: 36037439
Unit: 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armoured Division, Troop D
Date of death: –
Place of death: Missing in action at Neerkant, north of the Heitrak
Cause of death: –
Cemetery: –
Memorial site: Netherlands American Memorial in Margraten

Additional information

Awarded the Purple Heart.

Son of Peter Marek and Pauline Marek. (Enlisted 17 June 1944, Chicago, Illinois)

Platoon Sergeant Stanley F. Marek, together with Driver John Gustof Karhula, has been missing since 28 October 1944 in the vicinity of the Heitrak in Neerkant. During a clash with German troops, their armoured car was hit and caught fire; their bodies may have been burnt in the burning vehicle.

On 9 December 1944, a memorial mass was held for Stanley F. Marek at St Joseph’s Church in Chicago.

View all persons in the category: Missing