An abandoned WWII veteran’s gravestone discovered on a Summerfield roadside has been returned to its rightful place, thanks to Good Samaritans who moved to action after reading the story in last week’s Voice of South Marion. But the case is far from closed.
Ken Radke, of Ocala, read about the gravestone of U.S. Army Corporal Paul Heckters, which had been found dumped at the corner of SE 92nd Loop and SE 81st Court. Radke searched online, locating both the name of the veteran and Blair Learn of Belleview, whose wife, Mary Ann, first discovered the discarded marker while biking.
Several other Voice of South Marion readers reached out with tips, including one who brought information directly to the newspaper’s office about the veteran’s burial at Holy Trinity Cemetery in Fruitland Park.
Together, Radke, Blair, and Mary Ann Learn retrieved the gravestone and returned it to Holy Trinity Cemetery, where another surprise awaited them.
At the Heckters family plot, they found another gravestone already in place for Cpl. Paul Heckters. Making matters puzzling, the two markers list different dates of death: one cites March 16, 2005, while the other reads May 16, 2005. Records indicate that Dorothy Heckters, the spouse listed on the shared gravestone, passed away in 2015.
How the second gravestone ended up so far away in Summerfield remains unknown. The cemetery sexton will now determine the next steps.
For now, those involved said they are comforted knowing that Cpl. Heckters is once again receiving the dignity and honor his service deserves.
