Woman in Europe looking for family of Merced man who died during World War II
A woman from Northern Europe who, with her husband, tends to a grave marker that honors an American military service member from World War II is seeking the public’s help in finding the family of one of the soldiers buried there.
Esther de Vet is looking for the family of Eugene Debs Whitley, a U.S. Army private who lived in Merced before the war and is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Whitley died in battle on Nov. 19, 1944, in Kellersberg, Germany.
De Vet and her husband have adopted Whitley’s grave.
“At this cemetery, it’s possible to adopt a grave as a tribute to the fallen American soldiers who liberated the Netherlands,” she said in an email to the Sun-Star. “The goal is to keep the soldiers’ personal stories alive by visiting the grave, maintaining it, and laying flowers as an expression of lasting gratitude.
“I visit his final resting place regularly to honor his sacrifice, but I have one big wish: I would love to find a photo of him to give him a face.”
De Vet said Eugene Debs Whitley was the son of Thomas Hiram Whitley and Catherine Whitley (born Evans). He was married to Virginia Whitley and had a brother named Rupert V. Whitley (1910–1983), who lived in the Merced and Sacramento areas.
Anyone with information about Whitley or his family is asked to email de Vet at erm.devet@hotmail.nl.
She is looking for photos or any information about Whitley’s life before the war.
Whitley was born Aug. 18 1913, and lived in Merced, according to records found online. He was a member of the 743rd Tank Battalion.
According to the American Battle Monuments Commission, the Netherlands American Cemetery includes the graves of more than 8,300 U.S. soldiers and more than 1,700 names on the Walls of the Missing.
“It means the world to me to show his family that he is still remembered and honored here in the Netherlands after 80 years,” de Vet said in the message.
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Woman in Europe looking for family of Merced man who died during World War II."
