By Deborah Larsen
Henry Nicholas Pape
Henry Nicholas Pape was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on November 4, 1923, the son of Hendrik and Nellie van Prooyen Pape. Henry grew up in Kalamazoo but moved to Rochester, Michigan, to work at National Twist Drill & Tool Company around 1941.
In November 1942, Henry enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was trained as a field artillery crewman. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 15th Marines, 6th Marine Division, which participated in the campaigns for Guadalcanal and Okinawa. Henry was released from military service in December 1945.
After the war, Henry married, started a family, and moved back to the Kalamazoo vicinity, where he worked for Fisher Body.
Henry Nicholas Pape died at age 64 on May 30, 1988, and was laid to rest in Plainwell, Michigan.