Mary E Willy and Ephraim Gerst Buyer

Mary E Willy was born 15 Oct 1897 in Columbia, PA, the third child of Anna H Greulich and George C Willy. Sometime in or before 1918, she married Ephraim Gerst Buyer. (I'm guessing that this was after he returned from serving in WWI as as private first class.) Their oldest child, Gerst G, was born in Columbia 21 Feb 1919.

Ephraim Gerst was born 14 Jul 1897 or 1898, the third and youngest son of Benjamin Buyer, a German immigrant, and Anna Eliza G Metz Buyer. He apparently got his name from Anna's paternal uncle by marriage. Anna's father Thornton Brenneman Metz had a sister Anna who married Ephraim Gerst (Gerst being his surname). Aunt Anna and Uncle Ephraim had six children, including three sons, and by the time Ephraim Gerst Buyer was born they also have three grandchildren, including one grandson. There was no question as to a lack of heirs or as to uncertainty in carrying on the Gerst family name. As far as I can tell, Anna Metz Buyer was simply fond of her namesake aunt and the said aunt's husband. Having bestowed her father's name on her oldest son and her husband's name on her second, she named her third after her uncle.

As of 1920, Mary, Ephraim Gerst and young Gerst were living with Benjamin and Anna at 443 North Prince Street in Lancaster (i.e. the town of this name in Lancaster County). Ephraim Gerst was working as a clerk at a department store. Mary and Ephraim Gerst's second son Robert James was born 26 Jul 1920.

I don't know where Ephraim Gerst's older brother Benjamin was in 1920, but when he registered for the draft in WWI, he gave his occupation as "dentist student." By 1930, both brothers were living next door to each other in Paxtang, Dauphin County. Ephraim Gerst, Mary and their two sons were living at 25 North 32nd Street. Benjamin Metz Buyer and his wife Mildred C were living at #27. Both Ephraim Gerst and Benjamin were said to be dentists. In Benjamin's case, this was true. The 1940 US census states that Benjamin is an orthodontist with four years of college. Ephraim Gerst is a manager in dental supplies who completed three years of high school. (Mary Willy Buyer completed Grade 8.)

Mary Willy Buyer died in Paxtang on 05 Nov 1982. Ephraim Gerst Buyer died in Paxtang on 15 Mar 1986. Both are buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Columbia, along with Ephraim's parents Benjamin (1869-1943) and Anna (1868-1948) as well as his older brother Thornton (1894-1948).

Nadene R Etter and Gerst G Buyer

Mary and Ephraim Gerst's older son, Gerst G, attended Gettysburg College, where he was part of the Reserve Officers Training Corps and was also known for his baseball skills. According to his biography at Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice, after graduating from Gettysburg in 1940 Gerst entered Dickinson Law School in Carlisle, PA, while continuing to play with the Paxtang Indians at Harrisburg. In December 1941 he became engaged to (Ida) Nadene R Etter. Nadine was born 16 Sep 1920 in Penbrook, Dauphin County, the daughter of Leah Mae Miller and Abner F Etter.

Three months after the engagement, Gerst was called into military service and sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for training. He and Nadene married in Louisville, Kentucky, on 21 Feb 1942. In December 1942, shortly before the birth of their son, First Lieutenant Buyer was sent overseas with the 1st Battalion of the 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division. After almost a year of fighting in North Africa, the 13th Armored landed in Italy in late 1943. Gerst G Buyer was killed in action at Anzio on 25 May 1944. He's buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.

Gerst G never met his son, Gerst M Buyer, who was born 28 Dec 1942. Nadene remarried, her second husband being Joseph H Snyder. She died 24 May 1996. Joseph died 02 Jul 2001. Both are buried in Shoops Cemetery, Harrisburg, Dauphin County.

Gerst M Buyer married Carolyn L Kreiser, born 08 Jun 1944, the daughter of Mildred R Lindsey and Russel E Kreiser. Sadly, their daughter Julie Ann Buyer Rickards born 13 Nov 1970 died 11 Sep 2012. She was survived by her husband and son.

Mary Virginia Van Dyke and Robert James Buyer

Like his brother Gerst G, Robert James also served as an officer in WWII. At the time of his marriage in Harrisburg on 01 Jul 1945 he was a lieutenant (jg) in the USNR and had recently returned from two and half years of service. His bride was Mary Virgina Van Dyke, the daughter of Martha Hunter and Warren Van Dyke born 23 Oct 1920. At the time of her marriage she was a technician at Harrisburg Hospital.

The couple had three children: Stephen born 07 Dec 1946, James Gerst born 07 Jan 1949 and Martha, who might or might have been born in 1952.

James Gerst died in June 1981. Mary Virginia died in Paxtang 06 Mar 2003. She was followed by Robert James on 06 Oct 2007. Finally Stephen died in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, PA, on 06 Oct 2014. All four are buried in the East Harrisburg Cemetery.

Stephen was survived by his sister, Martha Buyer Buckwalter.