Ezra Erb

Ezra Erb, 84, of Goshen, died Friday afternoon, June 22, 2007, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, South Bend.   He was born in Wellesky, Ontario, Canada, on December 16, 1922, to Micahel and Nancy (Bast) Erb.  With the death of his mother at the age of 8, he was raised by George and Emma Schmidt.  He married Barbara M. Zehr on January 1, 1946, at the New Bremen Mennonite Church in New Bremen, New York.  She survives.   Mr. Erb graduated from Alden Central High School in 1941 and received his BS in 1950 from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.  He retired in 1984 from Union Caribide – Linde Division (now Praxair) as a chemist.   He served as a US Army medic during World War II in the European Theater.  He landed on Normandy at Uttica Beach in the third wave.  He was shot in the leg by a German sniper while carrying a wounded soldier and later wounded in the arm by shrapnel.  Mr. Erb received the Purple Heart and the Oakleaf Cluster.   He attended Waterford Mennonite Church in Goshen and was a member of the Alden Mennonite Church of Alden, New York.  He was also a member of the American Chemical Society and the Compressed Gas Association.   He is survived by his wife, Barbara; a son, Jack (Cindy) Erb of San Antonio, Texas; a daughter, Rhonda (John) Landgraf of Goshen; two grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; four step-great-grandchildren; and a brother, Joe (Virginia) Erb of Darien, New York.   Friends will be received 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, June 25, at the Waterford Mennonite Church, Goshen; 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, June 26 and 9-10 a.m., Thursday, June 27, at the Alden Mennonite Church, Alden.   A 10:00 a.m., funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 27, 2007, at the Alden Mennonite Church with Rev. Phil Martin officiating.   Burial will be in Union Cemetery, Alden, New York.   Memorial contributions may be given to either the Waterford Mennonite Church or Alden Mennonite Church.