DELMONT, Pa. — After 80 years, Staff Sergeant Stephen Fatur is finally home.
The World War II soldier was buried with full military honors Monday at Twin Valley Memorial Park, a year after his remains were positively identified.
“So many of the family members who lost family members didn’t talk about them and my grandmother Ella Fatur and my mother Helen Fatur Lucas kept his memory alive,” Fatur’s niece, Kristen Barnett, said.
Supporters waved American flags as a procession through Delmont took Fatur’s remains to his final resting place.
“Delmont’s always home and the way that they’ve been treating us and the way that the love that has been outpouring has been overwhelming,” Barnett said.
Fatur was just 19 years old when he died.
He was a tail gunner on a bombing mission when his B-17 G Flying Fortress was shot down over Poland on March 22, 1945. It was a mission Barnett says her uncle wasn’t even supposed to be on.
“His buddy was coming home and needed to fly one more mission, and my uncle said, ‘I’ll take it because I’m gonna be here for a while.’”
Seven of the 10 crew members died, including Fatur.
His remains were discovered in 2015, but they weren’t positively identified until July of last year through DNA analysis.
“My parents were living in Virginia Beach. They thought it was a scam, and so they sent my other sister and her husband, and they came home and said, ' No, this is real. This is real.’”
Growing up in Slickville, Fatur was an accomplished ice skater.
“In fact, he had tried out for the Ice Capades, got an offer, but then joined the military during World War II instead,” Barnett said.
He gave it all up to serve his country.
“While this is a bittersweet moment, we’re just so thankful that he’s home and just remember we never leave a soldier behind,” Barnett said.
According to his obituary, Fatur’s parents never gave up hope his remains would be returned one day.
Staff Sergeant Stephen Fatur is survived by his many nieces, nephews and cousins.
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