81 years later, World War II hero is brought home to rest

A funeral service was held Thursday at Howe Cemetery for 2nd Lt. Donald Sheppick.

Lt. Col. Robert Prah of the U.S. Army 99th Readiness Division Military Funeral Honors Team carries the remains of WWII navigator 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick during Thursday’s graveside service at Howe Cemetery in Long Branch, Coal Center.

By STACY WOLFORD swolford@yourmvi.com

Eighty-one years after he died with his crew in a World War II plane crash over the Pacific, the remains of a Mon Valley airman have finally come home.

2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick of Roscoe was only 26 on March 11, 1944, when he boarded a World War II B-24 bomber, nicknamed “Heaven Can Wait” that came under anti-aircraft fire and crashed in the waters off Papua, New

Courtesy of Project Recover/ Scott Althaus
Here are members of the “Heaven Can Wait” bomber crew. Shown, front row, from left, 2nd Lt. Donald Sheppick (navigator) of Roscoe, Washington County, 1st Lt. Herbert Tennyson (pilot), 2nd Lt. M.J. McFadden (co-pilot) and 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly (bombardier). Back row, from left, are Staff Sgt. Donald Burd (radio/gunner), Tech Sgt. Edward Gorvetzian (engineer), Staff Sgt. Walter Graves (waist gunner), Staff Sgt. Paul Martin (tail gunner), Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan (radio operator) and Staff Sgt. Eugene Rheinhardt (career gunner). Missing from the photo is Staff Sgt. John W. Emmer Jr., who took the photo.

Guinea, killing all 11 crew members onboard. Their remains, deep below the vast sea, were designated as non-recoverable.

But after an extraordinary journey, Sheppick’s remains returned to his hometown after an investigation and a recovery mission involving elite U.S. Navy divers who descended 200 feet in a pressurized bell to reach the sea floor.

A group known as Project Recover used modern science and advanced diving technologies to locate the bomber in Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea, in 2017. The family of Sheppick’s crewmate, Bombardier 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly, Jr., provided extensive research helping Project Recover lo- cate the aircraft.

That journey came full circle Thursday afternoon when members of Project Recover joined Roscoe American Legion Post 801 members, the U.S. Army 99th Readiness Division Military Funeral Honors Team, surviving relatives and community members to give Sheppick the proper send-off a veteran of his caliber deserves.

Sgt. 1st Class Mike Powell of the U.S. Army 99th Readiness Division Military Funeral Honors Team salutes during Thursday’s graveside service for 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick at Howe Cemetery in Long Branch, Coal Center. Jeff Helsel / MVI

A crowd of about 75 people gathered at Howe Cemetery in Long Branch, where Sheppick, the plane’s navigator, was honored with full military honors and buried in the same plot with his parents, Paul C. and Elsie Kepnik Scheppok. Ferguson Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. in Belle Vernon handled the funeral arrangements.

While those in attendance never met the ambitious airman who once played in the California Area High School marching band, the sentiments expressed Thursday revealed that love and gratitude are more powerful than time, space and even mortality.

Sheppick’s niece, Deborah Wineland of Roscoe, spoke on behalf of her family during the service, thanking everyone involved in the journey to bring her uncle home. Wineland, along with her brothers, Warren (Susan) Sheppick of Evansville, Ind., Richard (Nikki) Sheppick of Charleroi and Paul (Joyce) Sheppick of Coal Center attended the funeral service.

Members of the 99th Readiness Division rendered full military funeral honors, beginning with the ceremonial transfer of Sheppick’s remains. A rifle team delivered a traditional three-volley salute. A solo trumpeter then played “Taps.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t share any personal stories about Donald, it must have been too painful for our grandparents to talk about,” Wineland said. “He loved camping, fishing and music. And like the rest of us, his nickname was ‘Shep.’ We are thrilled that after 81 years, Donald is finally home.”

As Lt. Col. Robert Prah of the U.S. Army 99th Readiness Division Military Funeral Honors team presented Wineland with the ceremonial flag, the emotional toll of the service was evident as many in attendance wiped away tears.

Following the service, Richard Sheppick said he’s grateful for the support of the community and those involved in bringing his uncle’s remains home. He said he knows his dad and grandparents would be thankful as well.

“He would have been really impressed, very thankful,” Richard Sheppick said as he wiped away the tears. “Thank you, to everyone, for all they did to bring him home.”

At the time of his death, Sheppick was looking forward to becoming a father, as his wife, Mary Rebar Sheppick, was pregnant with their unborn son, Donald W. Sheppick Jr.

Members of Mary’s family attended Thursday’s service to pay tribute to their aunt’s beloved husband and remember the love shared between the young couple.

“She came down to our house with my mom and dad every Sunday. And I just know that (Donald) was the love of her life, the way she talked about him and then to be pregnant, lose her husband, then her son, it changes a family,” said Mary’s niece, Linda Whiten of Stockdale.

Donald and Mary’s son, Donald Jr., died at age 16 from cancer. California Area High School continues to give a scholarship each year in memory of Donald Sr. and his son.

The Rev. Mary Kay Glunt, who presided over the funeral service, read a poem, “I Remember You,” that was originally written for her father, who was also a World War II veteran.

Glunt read, “…When I go to sleep without worrying for my family’s safety, I remember you. When I see our flag waving in front of my home, and when I can salute that flag without fear of reprisal, I remember you. When I remember you, I think of the sacrifices you made, so I could have these things. I think of your commitment and your service beyond your duty. I think of all that you have given, so that I, and those I love, can be free.”

Project Recover

Retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Terry W. Eddinger of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Dan O’Brien of Sacramento, Calif., both of Project Recover, made the lengthy trip to Long Branch to attend Sheppick’s service.

Project Recover was established in 2012 with the goal of locating the underwater resting places of the 72,000 Americans who have gone missing in action since the start of World War II.

Project Recover set its sights on finding “Heaven Can Wait” after being presented with four years of research on circumstances of the crash, compiled by relatives of one member of the crew, 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr., the plane’s bombardier.

This data included historical eyewitness narratives from official military reports, mission documents and diary entries from crew members.

In October 2017, after 11 days on the water, and a search that covered nearly 10 1/2 miles of the seafloor involving scanning sonars, high-definition images, advanced diving and unmanned aerial and underwater robotic technologies, Project Recover located the debris field of the B-24 bomber, “Heaven Can Wait,” in 213 feet of water, according to Project Recover.

In 2023, Sheppick’s family learned that a team of elite Navy divers and archaeologists from the Defense POW/ MIA Accounting Agency ended a five-week deep-water search of Hansa Bay for the bones of “Heaven Can Wait’s” crew.

The project unfolded about 10 miles from an active 6,000foot volcano in one part of World War II’s vast Pacific Ocean graveyard. It was the deepest underwater recovery mission for the DPAA, the government agency that seeks to account for service members missing in action from past wars.

The DPAA said “osseous” material that could be bone had been found, as well as “material evidence that could be used to support any potential identifications,” and two aircraft machine gun barrels.

It was through that process Sheppick’s remains were verified.

Eddinger, who has attended 16 funerals for World War II soldiers recovered through Project Recover’s efforts, said it is an honor for them to see families finally get to put their loved ones to rest.

“A lot of these families carry the grief from their loved ones who have since passed away, so this is a sense of closure for them,” Eddinger said. “It’s very important we honor these heroes and pass on their stories for the next generation. We can’t let them be forgotten.”

Stacy Wolford is managing editor at the Mon Valley Independent.