Kermit Horace Demarais

Lilah Crowe2019-11-26T12:24:39-06:00

Name: Kermit Horace Demarais
Location of Birth: Bovey, Minnesota
Date of Birth: March 7, 1917
Date of Death: August 28, 1984
Parents: Horace Demarais & Esther (Deal) Demarais
High School and Class: 1935 Greenway High School, Coleraine, Minnesota
College:
Highest Rank: TEC 5 (Technical 5)
Branch: Army
Other Branch:
Date Sworn In: March 28, 1941
Place Sworn In:
Date of Discharge: October 30, 1945
Place of Discharge:
Military Awards:

Military Highlights:
WW II Draft Registration Cards – 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947
State: Minnesota
Name: Kermit Horace Demarais
Race: White
Age: 23
Birth Date: March 7, 1917
Birth Place: Bovey, Minnesota, USA
Residence Place: Bovey, Itasca, Minnesota, USA
Registration Date: October 16, 1940
Employer: Farmer
Weight: 160
Height: 5-9
Complexion: Ruddy
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Next of Kin: Horace Henry Demarais, father, Bovey, Itasca, Minnesota

Newspaper article: Bovey Press, Bovey, Minnesota – October 30, 1942 – “Dear Friends: Hi there everybody. Well, I’ll try and find time to answer your letter now. I’m sorry I never answered sooner. We are pretty busy now building additions to our living quarters. My battery is on an outpost, so we have plenty to do. When we first came out we had wooden barracks, now we are building these tin huts. We have a regular little village now. I have received the Bovey Press once so far. Pretty nice to get some news from there ever so often. Am glad to hear that Bovey had another big celebration Labor Day. It always does. Well, duck hunting season opened here the 12th of September. Haven’t been hunting though. Cost pretty much for a license up here, ten dollars plus duck stamp. There are many different kinds of ducks up here. There are a few deer around here. The largest bear in the world live here. Haven’t seen any, although some have been seen around. Our Colonel has shot 2 since we have been here. One weighed 1500 pounds and other 1200. There was some pretty good salmon fishing this fall. There was a contest for the largest fish caught. The winner weighed 30 pounds. It won a $100 bond. This is a pretty good fish ground. I’m on a gun section now. Last winter I drove a dune buggy around camp. Was taken off in May. We don’t have much excitement around here. Once or twice a week we have a movie put on by the Red Cross. Went to one dance since I’ve been up here and that was a couple of weeks ago. Had a fair time. We play cards quite a lot. Casino and black-jack are the favorites. Football season has started up here now. We can’t play in the league because we aren’t able to get in very often. We have some pretty good players in our battery. We manage to get the results of the games back there. Minnesota sure fell off this season. The Illinois games sure surprised me. I think they’ll probably win the rest of their games now. We have some pretty good arguments on which part of the country puts out the best teams. Although most of us are from Minnesota, there are a few fellows who joined us later, who are from different states: Texas, Nebraska and California mostly represented. It’s just friendly arguments tho. We have a pretty good bunch of fellows in our battery anyways. Well, it’s almost time for lights to go out so I had better quit. I’ve sure appreciated hearing from you every once in a while. So long till next time. Sincerely, Kermit Demarais.”

Newspaper article: Bovey Press, Bovey, Minnesota – April 26, 1943 – “Saturday, April 10, 1943 – Dear Friends – Hi, everyone! Well since I’m not doing anything but listening to the radio right now, I figured I may as well write you a few lines. It sure is a dead Saturday evening. I suppose it is pretty quiet back there too, since there are just a few fellows left. I’m hoping to get back on a furlough some time during the next three or four months. They did grant a few furloughs, but they have been cancelled for awhile. I’ve got my fingers crossed. I’m kept pretty busy. Another fellow and I do all the carpenter work and right now we are up to our neck in work. Just finished building a new barracks and I have started another. We have a quite a (censored) at our positions now. Running water, (when it doesn’t freeze up which happened a couple of times this winter), electric lights. We just installed a new power plant; (censored). We had a very unusual winter this year. Had plenty of snow . It was almost like “old” Minnesota, not as cold tho. Manage to do some skiing up here. Had a week of instructions on how to do different turns. Sure had fun! Tomorrow evening we should have a movie out here. The Red Cross up here sends one out every Sunday. Some of them are pretty good while other ones are pretty old, but then they are better than nothing at all. On Wednesday night the post movie theater sends out one of their films. They are usually the top pictures of the month and are some of the latest pictures out. We turned a quonset hut into a recreation room. Have a pool table and a ping pong table, some dart games, card and chess games. When things get lively there are cues, darts, ping pong balls and paddles flying all over. Sure is some commotion. Yes, I’m getting the “Bovey Press” regular now. Sure enjoy reading the Service Men’s page. Can find out where most of the fellows are stationed through it. Since I’ve been away over two years now, I’m way behind who’s where and why. I want to thank you very much for the different greetings and the Christmas package that you sent me. I sure appreciate them. Well, guess that’s about all for this time, so until next time, so long and keep hoping for the end of this conflict. Sincerely, Kermit Demarais”

Wars Involved:
World War II

MIA / POW:

Civilian Life:
Kermit Demarais married Angela Obrimski in Washington D.C. He served in the U.S. Army during WW II as a carpenter and light truck driver in Kodiak, Alaska, and in Washington at the Army War College.

Kermit died in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Coleraine, Minnesota (Block 140). He is survived by his wife, Angela; four sons, Joseph, Michael, Thomas, and Patrick; a brother, Timothy; three sisters, Clarissa Sjodin, Enid Ericson, and Deloris Simon; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Tribal Affiliation(s):