In loving memory of Lt. Robert S. Emerson. At the age of 25, Lt. Robert S. Emerson lost his life over Cebu Island in the Philippines on April 3, 1945, during a flight mission in support of Allied troops. He is the recipient of the Purple Heart, honoring the sacrifice of his life to his country during World War II.

Robert was known to his family as “Bob,” and was the son of Alice Mae Howe Emerson and George E. Emerson of 1 Orchard St., Norway, born on Nov. 13, 1919.

Robert was an outstanding track and basketball athlete at Norway High School, where he graduated in 1937. After graduation he worked at the Norway National Bank until he enlisted in the U.S. Army on Jan. 27, 1942, for aviation pilot training. He attended pre-flight training at Maxwell Field, Ala., completing courses in flying, airplane and engine operations, radio code and communication, military law and meteorology.

Lt. Emerson then attended flight schools at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Fla., and Bainbridge, Ga., before his graduation on Jan. 14, 1943, from the Columbus Army Flying School, an advanced aviation school near Columbus, Miss. There he received the Silver Wings of a flying officer and a commission as Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt.) in the U.S. Army Air Forces. In addition, he was the recipient of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Pilot Wings, Skill Marksmanship Quai Badges for Sharpshooter and Marksman, Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation and Honorable Service Lapel Button. Second Lt.Robert S. Emerson was the co-pilot of a B-25 aircraft for the flight mission on April 3, 1945. Five other crew members also lost their lives in the crash.

In 1947, the B-25 aircraft was recovered from the Philippines. However, at the time, individual identification of 2nd Lt. Robert S. Emerson and four of the crew members on the mission was unsuccessful. They were laid to rest in Manila, and transferred in December 1949 to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo., where they rested until approximately November 2008. From November 2008 through September 2009, DNA analysis through modern technology was performed in Hawaii and the five crew members have now been identified and returned to their families.

On Saturday, July 9, 2nd Lt. Robert S. Emerson will return home to his family with a graveside funeral service at 2 p.m. at Norway Pine Grove Cemetery, South Paris, where he will join his mother, Alice Mae Howe Emerson, his father, George E. Emerson, and his brothers, Erlon W. Emerson and Stanley E. Emerson. His sisters, Adeline Emerson Illemann and Lila Emerson Goldsmith, were laid to rest elsewhere with their husbands.

Robert is survived by his nieces, Patricia A. Beasley, Barbara G. Casey, and Nancy Illemann Rock; his great-nephew, Christopher B. Lee; and his great-niece, Kathryn C. May. Online condolences may be shared with his family at www.chandlerfunerals.com.