War veteran Abie Abraham dies at 98
Abie Abraham, one of Butler County's most famous veterans, died at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Butler Memorial Hospital. He was 98.
Abraham of Renfrew served with the U.S. Army's 31st Infantry in 1942 when the Philippines surrendered to Japan during World War II.
He and other American and Filipino soldiers were forced to march 60 miles over several days in the heat without water. Stragglers were shot, bayoneted or beheaded during the infamous Bataan Death March. More than 20,000 men died during the march.
He remained a prisoner of war until he was liberated by American troops in 1945.
He retired from the military in 1955 with 30 years of service. Following that, he worked for the state Department of Highways.
In 2009, Abraham married Chris Wolf at the age of 96. She survives.
Nathan DeSantis of Meridian, one of his friends, said this morning that Abraham was a great American hero.
“I think he was Butler's number one hero,” DeSantis said. “Butler should be so proud of a man like him.”
DeSantis said Abraham was a constant presence for veterans in the county. Despite being so well known, he said Abraham always was humble and unassuming.
Henry Sinopoli, president of the Moraine Trails Council for the Boy Scouts of America, often had Abraham speak at scouting events.“What a living legend,” Sinopoli said this morning.He said that, despite living through atrocities in World War II, Abraham was able to forgive his captors.Sinopoli said Abraham was humble and strived to serve others.“He was a man who actually lived his tenets of community service and loyalty to his country,” Sinopoli said.Abraham had more than 36,000 documented hours of volunteering at VA Butler Healthcare during 18 years.His heroism was not just known in Butler County. When singer Wayne Newton performed at Westminster College in 2007, Abraham was in the audience. Newton told the audience of Abraham's time as a prisoner of war. After the show, Newton invited Abraham backstage to meet him.Abraham authored two books about his time as a prisoner of war, and in 2005 he appeared on a History Channel documentary about the Bataan Death March.In 1995, he was named the Butler County Veteran of the Year. Butler Township honored Abraham in 2007 by naming a road Abie Abraham Lane.In October 2011, he received the Chairman's Award at the 22nd annual Partners in Leadership Awards celebration hosted by the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania.The Geibel Funeral Home in Butler is handling the funeral arrangements.
