Sherman DeMaris

Sherman DeMaris, age 94, of 1535 Ruthsburg Road, Centreville, Maryland passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, September 5, 2014. He was born December 2, 1919 in Sharptown, New Jersey, the son of Preston Steward DeMaris and Ida Whitesell DeMaris. He graduated from Woodstown High School in June, 1937 and drove across the country with some friends. He then went to work briefly for the DuPont Corporation before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps in December, 1941. After boot camp, he trained as an aerial engineer on B-17 bomber aircraft in Illinois where he met Mary Eloise Hausser at a U.S.O. dance. He then transferred to the Boeing Aircraft Factory in Seattle, Washington for further training, and subsequently became an instructor in the 88th Bomb Group for oncoming classes of flight engineers. In 1944 he was specially selected to join the 12th Combat Cargo Group as a flight engineer in C-47 cargo aircraft. The 12th Combat Cargo Group flew to Assam in India via the Caribbean, South America, Ascension Island, and Africa in time to deliver supplies to American and British troops at the Battle of Imphal in Burma. Delivering supplies on the ground and by low-level air drops, and flying out wounded soldiers, the 12th Combat Cargo Group began flying over the hump in Burma to deliver supplies to allied units fighting in China. The exploits of the 12th were featured in the June 26, 1944 issue of Life Magazine. Accumulating hundreds of hours over enemy territory, Mr. DeMaris was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. He rotated back to the states in April, 1945 and was honorably discharged shortly thereafter. Sherman DeMaris married his wartime sweetheart, Mary Eloise Hausser, on February 2, 1946. After the War, he worked on his father’s farm in New Jersey, moved briefly to California, and then returned to New Jersey. The family moved to Chestertown, Maryland in 1959 and established a large dairy and cattle farm. The family moved to their present residence in Ruthsburg in 1965. Around 1971 he went to work for Duffy Ford Tractor Machinery Company in Wye Mills, Maryland as the service manager, and later for Delmar Ford in Delmar, Maryland. He was recently honored by the American Legion Post 18 in Centreville for 55 years of continuous membership. He was a member of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, and the Hump Pilots Association. He is survived by his wife of sixty-eight years, a son, Barry Preston DeMaris of Edgemere, Maryland, a sister, Marti Dunbar of West Newfield, Maine, grandsons Douglas Preston DeMaris of Hampstead, Maryland, and Corporal George Hay Kain, IV, USMC of San Diego, California. A great grandchild is expected next week. He was preceded in death by his sisters Helen Ayars, and Erva Hartrum, and a daughter, Linda Louise Kain. Services will be held Centreville Methodist Church on Friday September 12, 2014 at 11AM with interment at a later date in the Maryland Veterans Eastern Shore Cemetery in Hurlock, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Centreville United Methodist Church 608 Church Hill Road Centreville, MD 21617 or American Legion Post #18 2619 Centreville Road Centreville, MD 21617.

Sherman DeMaris

December 2, 1919 - September 5, 2014