In Memory
RICHARD E. "DICK" BLOCK Obituary
RICHARD E. "DICK" BLOCK, 89, of Fort Wayne, passed away Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. He was born Nov. 30, 1925, in Aurora, Ind., a son of the late Horace and Maude Mae (Dudgeon) Block. He served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific. He then taught Social Studies at South Side High School starting in 1959 and retired as Assistant Principal in 1990. He was a member and leader of many educational and civic organizations throughout his long career. He also served faithfully in his church, First Presbyterian, Fort Wayne, where he served as an usher, deacon, and various other committees. Surviving family include his four daughters, Teresa (Doug) Fogwell of Winfield, Ill., Lisa (Peter) Hoffman, Susan (Jeff) Conley and Beth (Bruce) Dafforn; 10 grandchildren; one great-grandson; and sisters, Dorothy Jewett, Mary Keiffer and Carolyn Hollins. Besides his parents, he was also preceded in passing by his wife, Elizabeth (Ward) Block; two sisters, Esther and Vivian; and two brothers, Lewis and Charles. Funeral service is noon Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, at Greenlawn Funeral Home, 6750 Covington Road, Fort Wayne, with visitation one hour prior. Visitation also from 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, at the funeral home. Burial will be in Greenlawn Memorial Park, Fort Wayne. Memorials may be made to American Cancer Society or Parkview Hospice. Pleae visit greenlawnmgfh.com to leave condolences. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fortwayne/obituary.aspx?n=richard-e-block-dick&pid=175887321#sthash.RkKB8vjX.N3c12Onq.dpuf
Nancy L. Liby (Stark)
I remember Dick Block like it was yesterday. I was an office secretary at South Side for five years and worked closely with Mr. Block scheduling students for classes. Mr. Block was a caring, helpful, compassionate, awesome individual. I never saw him get upset with students although as assistant principal he was responsible for dealing with students with various problems, both big and small. He was a great asset to South Side High School!
Nancee S. Lougheed
Nancy, Thank you for your comment on Mr. Block. It reminded me that there was a write up about him in the local paper. I was amazed to learn about his involvedment in the war, and I think others may enjoy reading the article that is copied below. It is from the Front Page lead story in the Fort Wayne News Sentinel, Monday, September 28, 2015.
Late Fort Wayne veteran handled communication during Battle of Okinawa
Richard Block’s ship handled radar communications during the Battle of Okinawa. (By Kayleen Reusser for The News-Sentinel)
Richard Block kept a secret log of his activities during World War II. (By Kayleen Reusser for The News-Sentinel)
Battle on Japan's doorstep was bloody
Editor’s note: This is one in a biweekly series about World War II veterans and their experiences. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Richard Block died Sept. 19. This interview was conducted several weeks ago.
“We never debated about serving our country during war,” said Fort Wayne resident Richard Block. “Everyone knew what Hitler was like. It was our duty.”
Block was born in 1925 in Aurora, Ind. He graduated early from Aurora High School at the government’s insistence. “I left school in January 1944 as a seventh semester senior after being drafted into the Navy,” he said.
In early 1945 Block disembarked from the States on a ship with hundreds of other sailors for the Pacific. They stopped at Hawaii to refuel before heading to Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines on the USS Teton. The Teton was a former passenger ship converted to military ship. A Japanese sub followed the Teton, but thankfully, never fired on the ship.
By late spring, Block’s ship was prepared to leave the Philippines. “Our crew had orders to head to an area in the Pacific that would be part of a huge Allied invasion,” Block said. “It was an island off the coast of Japan called Okinawa.”
The Battle of Okinawa, which began in April 1945, was one of the bloodiest conflicts in the Pacific. Sources say 77,166 Japanese soldiers were either killed or committed suicide. The Allies suffered 14,009 deaths.
Block’s ship handled radar communications during the battle. “When Japanese soldiers from caves on shore bombarded our troops, we called officers our planes flying overhead or phoned battleships in the area to ask for aid,” he said.
The sight of Kamikaze pilots sacrificing their own lives while trying to take out an Allied defender was a regular occurrence.
Block’s ship was protected since it was the ship handling communications, but it was still a stressful situation. “We constantly heard big guns going off around us,” he said. “In the midst of that we had to recall the Morse codes we had learned.” The Japanese were not the only ones to attack. “We knocked 62 of their planes out of the sky,” said Block.
Was he scared, a 20-year-old in the midst of his first battle? “Yes,” he said, “especially when Japanese subs sneaked into our harbors. They could fire a shell and put a hole in our ships.”
The battle of Okinawa lasted 72 days. Thankfully, Axis forces were forced to surrender two months after the end of the fighting on Okinawa, thus ending the war.
Block kept a log of his time in military service, which he still had among his belongings. Such action was not allowed, but Block didn’t worry about the unauthorized document. “No one confiscated it while I was aboard ship,” he said.
Block was discharged from military service in April 1946 at the rank of radioman 2nd class 2C.
He returned to Indiana and attended Hanover College. He worked 32 years at South Side High School in Fort Wayne, first as a teacher of government and sociology, then college counselor and finally assistant principal. He retired in 1990.
In 1951 Block married Elizabeth Ward from Osgood, Ind. They were parents to four daughters. Elizabeth died in 2005.
Block’s view of war was optimistic. “For some reason (that) I don’t understand, I always told myself there would be men killed, but I would not be one,” he said. “I always thought I was lucky to survive.”
Bluffton author Kayleen Reusser published the book “World War II Legacies: Stories of Northeast Indiana Veterans.” Contact her at kjreusser@adamswells.com.