LAVERN J. BALL

 Laverne J. Ball, 71, of 801 Bath Ave., Catasauqua, died Thursday in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township. He was the husband of Letitia J. (Laub) Ball. They would have been i married 47 years this month.
   He was a buyer for the Fuller Co., Catasauqua, for more than 35 years, retiring in 1983.
   He was on the Catasauqua borough council for 10 years and was a former treasurer for the borough, authority.
   Born in Quakertown, he was a son of the late Stanley and Bessie (Ehrhart) Ball.
   He was treasurer for 10 years and sang in the choir and served on the council at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Catasauqua.
   He was an Army veteran of . World War IL
   Ball was a past president and treasurer of the Catasauqua Library and was a former treasurer of the Community J-4 Committee, Catasauqua.
   He was currently treasurer and was a past master of Porter Lodge 284 F&AM, Catasauqua. He was a treasurer of the Royal Arch Chapter 278, Catasauqua.
   Survivors: Wife; daughters, Ellen R., wife of William C. Roeger Jr. of Perkasie, Barbara A., wife of Glenn M. Roth of Catasauqua, and Lisa J. Ball-Goodrich, wife of Leo Goodrich of Branford, Conn. brothers, Ray S. of Coopersburg and Willard of Broomall, Delaware County; sister, Ruth, wife of Romeo Danni of Piscataway, N.J., and four grandsons.
   Memorial services: 7 p.m. Sunday in the church. No calling hours. Arrangements, Clinton R. Diefenderfer Funeral Home, Catasauqua.

[The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, 08 Jul 1994, Fri • Main Edition, Page 20]

Laverne J. Ball registered for the draft at Local Board No 4, Allentown, PA on 6 30 1942.

He was inducted into the Army on 12 January 1943 despite the partial amputation of the first and middle fingers of his left hand.  The loss may have been an industrial accident while he was employed at 'Mack's Corporation", which was probably the Mack Trucks which was then located in Allentown.

Pvt Ball first appears in Service Co, 508th PIR Morning Reports in August 12943 when recorded as going on furlough [1942 Morning Reports for service Co are not available.]

Pvt Ball was promoted to Corporal on 4 November 1943.

He was first discharged on 3 November 1945 but remained in Germany in an unknown capacity. 

On 11 June 1946,  he  arrived in New York, NY having sailed from Le Havre, France aboard the SS Lewiston Victory.  listed on line 1, handwritten annotations indicate that he left the U.S. on 28 December 1943 (which would have been when the regiment sailed  on the USAT James Parker)  and that he was discharged on 3 November 1945 (which correlates to three other sources).  What isn't indicted is what had kept him in Germany following his discharge.

Whatever his role may have been, he returned to Germany and ess then a year later, he again arrived in New York, NY [see line 9] , this time after departing from Bremerhaven, Germany aboard the  USAT General M B Stewart.  Of particular note is that his passport had been issued in Frankfurt am Main on 5 November 1945, two days after his Army discharge.  Also shown is that he had left he U.S. on 13 July 1946, just a month after his earlier return.