50 West River Street
Sergeant Elwood Sass
Elwood and Donald Sass were the sons of Otto Jay Sass and Martha Ann Whitehead. Otto was a machinist who had lived in St. George and Martha was from Ilkerston, Derbyshire in England. The family lived for a time at 1 Laurel Street. Otto passed away in 1938 and Martha remarried in 1939. They lived at 50 West River Street when the brothers enlisted in the Second World War.
Elwood was born in 1918. He completed grade 10 at Paris District High School, but he left school in 1934 in grade 11 as he had an opportunity as an apprentice machinist and had to start at once because his father was ill. He spent two years as an apprentice, then two years as a qualified machinist. He worked at Penman’s from 1936 to 1939 as a qualified machinist and serviced radios as a sideline. His hobbies included art, skiing, swimming and amateur radio.
He got his ham radio licence as a teenager in 1937 and was very proficient with telegraphy. He was one of only two people in Paris with an amateur radio licence. Upon the declaration of war, the government shut down his station and he was given a direct entry into the military because he held a Department of Transportation Certificate of Radio Proficiency. Upon enlistment, he was posted to Operations on the east coast with Coastal Command. He was mustered as an Electrical Mechanic, C group. He was then remustered to Wireless Operator Ground Group A. In 1943 he was promoted to Sergeant. He was in charge of the Signals Sections for four years at five different stations.
Elwood had met and married (Gladys) Mildred Thornhill in 1940. Following his discharge he returned to Paris where worked at Penmans as a machinist and eventually became the foreman. They built a house at 35 Church Street and had four children. Elwood died in 2009 and is buried in Paris.
Sass Brothers: