Sgt. Willard Surr Kendall

Sgt. Willard Surr Kendall, United States Army Air Force, 301st Bomber Group, Heavy, 32nd Bomber Squadron. Born March 5th, 1920. Killed in Action on February 25th, 1944. He was married to Dorothy M. Kendall and they had one son, Wayne L. Kendall, born August 21st, 1941. 

Willard was the 11th of 13 children born to Bertram and Bertha Kendall. 

He will be interred with his mother and father in the same plot at Forest Home Cemetery. Also buried in the same plot are sisters Mabel and Mary Kendall, his brother Elmer Kendall and Elmer’s son, Willard S. Kendall. Also buried in an adjoining plot are a brother George Kendall and George’s wife, Louise. 

During Willard’s service in World War II, he was the recipient of a number of Air Corp Oak Leaf Combat Awards and the Purple Heart Medal. 

From the time of his death in 1944 until 2023, Willard’s remains were unidentifiable. Recent DNA technology allowed for positive identification in 2023.

In addition to serving his country in WWII, Willard served in the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1937 where he was involved in the building of trails in what is now known as Grand Teton National Park.