When Howard E. Schlereth died last week at the age of 89--almost 90--there was no funeral, no flowers, no service, not even an obituary notice. An Army veteran with 22 years of service, including World War II, one of his duties was to escort the coffins of his fallen comrades home to their bereaving families. He'd seen enough sadness and wanted no more of it when his time came. Although his family honored his wishes, granddaughter Donalyn Harris sent me a note, which we followed up with a phone call, asking if there wasn't some way we could honor "my truly great grandpa" who so many in Pleasanton knew. Let me give it a try.

Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, September 5, 2008, 12:00 AM