Edward V. Stott was born in 1923 to Bertless and Anna Stott who lived at 230 Prospect Street in Phoenixville , Pennsylvania.   Edward was the youngest of four children:  Mamie, Harry, Donald and Edward.  His father was a carpenter. The family later moved to 549 Washington Street.

Edward attended Memorial Junior High School, located at 320 Second Avenue (pictured at right). This is the school in which the famed 1957 movie “The Blob” was filmed. It was refurbished and today is known as the Samuel K. Barkley Elementary School.

 

 

Edward was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church,  (pictured at right) then located at Church and Jackson Streets - today it is a bank parking lot.

 

 

 

Edward found employment at Andrews Lumber yard on the 400 block of West Bridge Street and later at Phoenixville Iron Company (pictured at left).

Edward was 5 foot 9 inches tall, weighed 170 pounds, and had red hair. He was always friendly, smiling and very likeable a bit more outgoing then his brother, hero Donald  Edward loved riding motorcycles, but he also had an old Chevy and loved to go for drives.

Edward was drafted and entered service in the Army February 9, 1942.  He received training at Camp Howze, Texas, and was sent overseas January 1943. He was assigned to serve with the 349^th Infantry Regiment, 88^th Infantry Division;  the same Division in which Hero Robert Mock served.

In July, 1944, while in Italy, Edward spotted an overturned crate and tilted it up to rest his weary legs.  The crate was booby-trapped, causing a mortar round to explode, wounding Edward's leg.  From his hospital bed, Edward wrote that now that he was in the hospital, everything was alright and that he expected to be in the hospital for two more weeks. When he recovered sufficiently he would be released for duty.  He wrote, “I couldn’t write earlier, because as you know, we were on the way to Berlin.”

His father received a last letter from Edward dated June 24, and a friend received one dated July 1^st.

Private First Class Edward V. Stott Died Non Battle on July 2, 1944 in Northern Italy.

His mother, Anna, died suddenly of a heart attack on July 28, 1944.

Edward was buried in a local military cemetery.  In 1949, he was returned for reburial in his home country aboard the SS Lawrence Victory, an Army transport.

Services were held at the Neilman and Son Funeral home at 241-43 First Avenue on Sunday, November 13, 1949.  The Reverend Samuel L. Koons, pastor of the Central Lutheran Church officiated.  Interment with full military honors was at the Green Tree Cemetery in Oaks, PA (at the Green Tree Church of the Brethren on Egypt Road near Green Tree Road). A military escort, bugler and firing squad were provided by the Valley Forge General Hospital and Allied Veteran organizations.

Edward received the Combat Infantryman’s Badge as well as the Purple Heart.

Edward’s brother Donald, was Killed In Action on July 10, 1943.  His cousin, James Derix Died Of Wounds received on in Normandy, on July 7, 1944.

Photo: Memorial Junior High School, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Phoenixville Steel, Green Tree Church