Posted on: Cherry Co. Ne Obituaries Forum Board URL: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ne/CherryObits?read=31 Surname: Brinda, Medek, Boyd ------------------------- John Brinda was born January 13, 1890, to Charles and Mary Medek Brinda at Mt. Vernon, Ill., baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church and died following a lingering illness September 13, 1963, at 73 years in the Sandhills General Hospital. Requiem Mass was celebrated by Father Lawrence Helmueller at St. Michael's Catholic Church near Midway, S.D. Sept. 17. Interment was in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Valentine with military honors. Among those attending the funeral were three veterans from Company B who served with John during World War I: Charles Perkins and Arv Peterson, North Platte, and Earl Eshleman, Hershey. When John was 4 years his family moved to Fort Niobrara near Valentine in Cherry County where his father was a tailor for the soldiers. At an very early age he worked as a cowboy for the Heelans, Wood Lake, Danny Lovejoy, Valentine, Faddis & Steadman, Brownlee, Frank Ballard and W.W. Piercy in the Oasis/Kennedy area and filed a homestead near Kennedy. He entered the Armed Forces in September 1917 and served as Sgt. in the 89th Division, Company B of the 355th Infantry in France and Germany. He was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre for participation in the St. Mihiel Drive September 12-13, 1918, when he captured a machine gun nest single handed, killed the gunner and took prisoners. John bought a farm/ranch in Todd County S.D. in 1922 where he was active in soil conservation work. He was a charter member of the Leo Brinda American Legion Post 90, named for his brother who paid the supreme sacrifice, and served 10 years on the draft board. He is survived by his wife, his children Dorothy Weihe, James, Marianne Beel and Robert; 15 grandchildren; brothers Charles (Ann), Valentine, William (Verna), Oregon, Elmer (Freida), Ainsworth; and sisters Mamie (John)Taylor, Fannie (Ray)Estes and Kate (Mervin) Linabery, all of Valentine.