SKOWHEGAN — Army Pfc. George A. Savage Sr., of Skowhegan, was killed in action in November 1944 in western Germany and buried in Belgium.

Four years later, Savage’s remains were exhumed and shipped back home to Maine for a proper burial on American soil.

He was interred with full military honors on April 18, 1948, in North Cemetery in Skowhegan, according to the soldier’s son, George A. Savage Jr., of Sidney.

It was to be the 29-year-old soldier’s final resting place.

Now that grave, and that of Savage’s grandfather, Roy E. Savage, who lost a leg as a member of the U.S. cavalry in the Spanish-American War, are threatened by massive erosion at the cemetery.

Five burial sites belonging to the Savage family are within about eight feet of the erosion, and the problem will get worse if not dealt with immediately, town officials said earlier this month. Erosion at North Cemetery, off Madison Avenue, has collapsed a wide portion of an earthen retaining wall and threatens to expose several graves in the area.

Advertisement

“The first thing we thought is, ‘What’s going to happen to him? Where are they going to put him?'” Savage said.

Savage, 75, said he and his wife, Theresa, considered moving his father’s remains to a veterans’ cemetery after they heard the news of the collapse of the cemetery embankment in Skowhegan.

The younger Savage, a Navy veteran, said town officials have assured him that it will not be necessary to move the remains.

Skowhegan Code Enforcement Officer Randall Gray, who alerted selectmen to the erosion problem April 9, said an engineering firm has been hired and the problem will be fixed.

Acorn Engineering of Portland is designing a solution to the collapsed embankment, which should be ready in the coming days, Gray said. A contractor then will be hired to do the necessary repairs, he said.

“It’s the town’s intention to leave them right where they are and make everything safe for them so they don’t have to be relocated again,” Gray said.

Advertisement

Town officials don’t want the graves disturbed, because the “Savage family, they are all veterans,” Gray said Thursday. “They shouldn’t worry at all.”

The remains of George A. Savage Sr. were among those of more than 2,000 U.S. servicemen who were killed and buried in Europe during World War II and returned to the United State 65 years ago this month. The casket was met in Waterville, escorted to the Peters-Shortier American Legion Post in Skowhegan and taken to the Lord Funeral Home in Skowhegan. Burial was overseen by members of Sanford’s American Legion post, also in Skowhegan.

An American flag that was draped over the soldier’s casket and presented that day to George Savage Jr.’s grandfather, Roy Savage, is on display along with collected photographs, war medals and other family memorabilia in the Savage home in Sidney. Among George Savage Sr.’s medals is a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, which are awarded for wounds suffered in combat. He also earned three campaign stars and a combat infantry badge.

Savage was wounded in Normandy, Tunisia and Italy, according to newspaper clippings the Savages have saved.

George A. Savage Jr. was in the Navy in the 1950s. His son, George Anthony Savage, was in the Air Force for eight years and his grandson Ryan is now in the Air Force.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367
dharlow@centralmaine.com

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.