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His life story was writ large, a hero ready-made for Hollywood who helped save the nation during its darkest hour.
But that, Dick Winters’ friends said, was Hollywood.
In real life, Winters, whose leadership in Easy Company, 506th regiment of the 101st Airborne Division was commemorated in the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” based on the Stephen Ambrose book, shied from the spotlight.
And when Winters died Jan. 2 at an assisted-living facility in Campbelltown, his final wish — a totally private funeral — befit a man who lived through extraordinary circumstances but never considered himself anything more than a man doing his duty, his longtime friend William S. Jackson said Sunday night.
Jackson, the former editor of the Hummelstown Sun and a friend for 20 years, said Winters, 92, had been in declining health.
Proud but not boastful, Winters injected a good sense of fun into most things and never seemed to take his turn in the spotlight seriously, Jackson said.
Word of Winters’ death, withheld by the family for more than a week out of respect for his wishes, leaked Sunday on several World War II websites, including the message board for the official Maj. Richard Winters site and a Facebook page.
In an effort to confirm his passing, The Patriot-News called scores of state and local officials, hospitals and funeral homes.
Bill Guarnere, a Philadelphia resident who served under Winters, told a reporter he had been informed by HBO of Winters’ death but didn’t know for sure.
Neighbors and those involved with local World War II remembrances seemed hesitant, saying only what they’d heard from other sources.
In the end, it was Jackson, who spoke with Winters’ widow, Ethel, on Sunday evening, who provided confirmation.
A memorial service, headed up by retired Col. Cole C. Kingseed, who co-authored Winters’ autobiography, “Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Maj. Dick Winters,” will be scheduled, Jackson said.
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His life story was writ large, a hero ready-made for Hollywood who helped save the nation during its darkest hour.
But that, Dick Winters’ friends said, was Hollywood.
In real life, Winters, whose leadership in Easy Company, 506th regiment of the 101st Airborne Division was commemorated in the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” based on the Stephen Ambrose book, shied from the spotlight.
And when Winters died Jan. 2 at an assisted-living facility in Campbelltown, his final wish — a totally private funeral — befit a man who lived through extraordinary circumstances but never considered himself anything more than a man doing his duty, his longtime friend William S. Jackson said Sunday night.
Jackson, the former editor of the Hummelstown Sun and a friend for 20 years, said Winters, 92, had been in declining health.
Proud but not boastful, Winters injected a good sense of fun into most things and never seemed to take his turn in the spotlight seriously, Jackson said.
Word of Winters’ death, withheld by the family for more than a week out of respect for his wishes, leaked Sunday on several World War II websites, including the message board for the official Maj. Richard Winters site and a Facebook page.
In an effort to confirm his passing, The Patriot-News called scores of state and local officials, hospitals and funeral homes.
Bill Guarnere, a Philadelphia resident who served under Winters, told a reporter he had been informed by HBO of Winters’ death but didn’t know for sure.
Neighbors and those involved with local World War II remembrances seemed hesitant, saying only what they’d heard from other sources.
In the end, it was Jackson, who spoke with Winters’ widow, Ethel, on Sunday evening, who provided confirmation.
A memorial service, headed up by retired Col. Cole C. Kingseed, who co-authored Winters’ autobiography, “Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Maj. Dick Winters,” will be scheduled, Jackson said.
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