World War II Honor Roll
Consider making a financial donation.
Your donation will help support our World War II Honor Roll & Monument Fund for the continuing maintance of the Honor Roll and monument site in Rochester, MI. 100% of your donation will go to the fund and nothing else. Thank you for your support.
Share Your Story
If you have a family member listed on the World War II Honor Roll or Auxiliary Panel and would like to share their story with us, please fill out our online form by tapping on the link button. We’d be honored to post the story in our Stories Behind the Names project on our website and social media platforms.
World War II Honor Roll List of Names
Tap the link to open a pdf file with the list of Honor Roll names in alphabetical order by last name. We have also included middle names just as the list appeared in the local newspapers in 1945. Names with a gold star indicates the honoree died while in service to the country.
Military Branches
- 522 served in the US Army
- 285 served in the US Navy
- 167 served in the US Army Air Forces
- 67 served in the US Marine Corp
- 21 served in the US Coast Guard
- 10 served in the US Merchant Marines
- 1 served in the Canadian Armed Forces
- 1 served in the United Kingdom Armed Forces
- Unknown branch/not available: to date, we do not yet know the military branch for 29 of the names on the honor roll.
Awards & Decorations
- 58 received a Purple heart
- 27 received a Bronze star
- 6 received a Silver star
- 13 received a distinguished flying cross
- 1 received a Legion of merit
- 1 received a Navy Cross
- 5 were POWs
Honor Roll Families
- 425 individuals listed on the honor roll were siblings of someone else listed on the honor roll
- 133 families represented on the honor roll had 2 children in uniform
- 34 families represented on the honor roll had 3 children in uniform
- 9 families represented on the honor roll had 4 children in uniform
- 3 families represented on the honor roll had 5 children in uniform
- 1 family represented on the honor roll had 6 children in uniform
- There are 2 married couples represented on the honor roll with both spouses in uniform
- There are 2 families represented on the honor roll with a parent and a child (or children) in uniform
In total, approximately 10% of the greater Rochester population at the time of the Second World War served in the military. This honor roll and the auxiliary panel represent the community’s commitment and sacrifice to the war effort.
Service & Sacrifice
Of the 1,103 names listed on the original honor roll:
- 39 individuals died in service and were noted with a gold star (though some of the stars are missing).
- 28 were women.
- 359 graduated from Rochester High School.
WWII HONOR ROLL HISTORY
1945: A local chapter of the Blue Star Mothers began raising funds to build a Honor Roll monument (also known as a Roll Call Memorial) to honor the people from the Rochester area who served in the armed forces during the war. The inspiration was an honor roll monument located in Scranton, PA, made of Carrara glass panels. After raising approximately $4,500 from community donations, the Blue Star Mothers installed the Honor Roll at the intersection of Fifth Street (now University Drive) and Walnut Blvd. in 1945. The honor roll structure was built by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company with sixteen Carrara glass panels on the monument’s six sides. The glass panels were first inscribed with a few hundred names of local citizens who served in uniform during the war. Gold stars were placed next to the names of those who died in service.
1951: Damage from automobiles and flying stones, as well as the removal of boulevard islands from Walnut Blvd. to make way for angled parking, led to the Honor Roll’s relocation to Main and Second streets.
1963: In April, the Rochester Village Council voted to remove the Honor Roll due to high repair costs. The Blue Star Mothers, though not able to financially support the Honor Roll’s maintenance, advocated for repairing the monument and moving it to another location near municipal offices.
1964: The Rochester Village Council vote to dismantle the Honor Roll and place it in storage. For over thirty years, the panels were stored in John Boeberitz’s garage. John’s mother was instrumental in having the Honor Roll originally built.
1990s: The panels were recovered from the Boeberitz garage and stored temporarily at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. In 1999, RAHS decided to restore the Honor Roll and place it in a public location.
2001: In 2001, RAHS began a campaign to rebuild and restore the Honor Roll and place it on public display near Rochester City Hall as the Blue Star Mothers had intended. The community raised $40,000 to research and locate replacement panels of the Carrara glass panels. Though the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. had long ceased operations, the business that purchased the glass company still had original panels stored on a shelf. These panels were purchased for an auxiliary panel and sand-blasted with lettering and painted blue to match the originals on the Honor Roll. A clear glass protective panel was placed over the panels. Donors’ names were listed on the auxiliary panel installed behind the Honor Roll. The names of those who donated $50 to $449 were added to metal tags on the story board.
The total cost to move the monument, build forms, bases, and sidewalks was donated monetarily or in kind. The Honor Roll was rededicated on May 25, 2002. Additional names of those who served, identified during the restoration process, were added to the auxiliary panel.
2023: In 2023, the Rochester-Avon Historical society received a Community Enhancement Grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester to assist with a new restoration effort. This time, the Honor Roll needed to be cleaned and repainted. The Society also expanded the Honor Roll site with assistance from the City of Rochester and the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. This effort added evening lighting, two flag poles, new landscaping, and an exhibit panel to tell passersby about the Honor Roll’s history. The grant also provided the Society an ongoing fund to continue maintaining the Honor Roll for generations to come.
2025: The Society hosted a second rededication of the World War II Honor Roll on July 16. This important monument has a long history in the community and is a vital part of remembering the sacrifices of Rochester-area military veterans.
A view of Honor Roll down Walnut Blvd. c. 1945. Photo: Rochester Historical Commission
The Honor Roll being removed from its place at Main and Second streets, c. 1951. Photo: Rochester Hills Public Library
The World War II Honor Roll Rededication in 2002.
World War II Honor Roll with new flag poles. June 2025. Photo: Carla Gallusser.
The World War II Honor Roll auxiliary panel. June 2025. Photo: Carla Gallusser.
Memorial marker for Sgt. Sparks, a member of the U.S. Marines Devil Dog program during World War II. Photo: Carla Gallusser.
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If you would prefer paying by check please make it out to RAHS and send it to:
P.O. Box 80783
Rochester, MI
48308-0783