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Page A12 JUNE 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
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Betty worked as a secretary at Cornell University and raised
two children.
In 1947, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom (which
later became the Presidential Medal of Freedom), the na-
tion’s highest award to a civilian. She was also awarded the
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon.
In observance of the 50th anniversary of the end of World
War II in 1995, a Coast Guard Administrative building on
Sand Island in Hawaii was named in her honor.
As she reflected on her war service, Betty said, “I feel very
humble, because my activities in the war effort were trivi-
al compared with those people who gave their life for their
country.”
Florence “Betty” Ebersole Smith Finch left this life on De-
cember 8, 2016 at the age of 101. She leaves a daughter Bet-
ty, a son Bob, sister Olive Keats, six grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren. Mr. Finch died in 1968.
Full military honors were offered Saturday, April 29, 2017
for her interment at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Cayuga
Heights, New York. Betty asked for the delay in her service
as she did not want family and friends to disrupt their holi-
days and also not to have to travel in the winter weather.
In keeping with Tom Brokaw’s quote at the opening, this
quiet person, Seaman First Class Finch remained hushed to
her acquaintances about service to her country.
“Her friends were flabbergasted. They had no idea that was
her history,” daughter Betty remembers. “It had not defined
her, but it defined how she lived her life.”
“Of the thousands of women who served with honor in the
United States Coast Guard, one stands out for her bravery
and devotion to duty.” –2015 Coast Guard Blog
Observations
“Heroes are people who rise to the occasion and slip away
quietly.” –Tom Brokaw
This war veteran was caught, tortured and starved. Forced
into a small 2 foot by 4-foot cell made this service member
fight for life as a prisoner of war. This prisoner needed some-
thing to pull them through the ordeal.
Her mantra was “I will survive.” Yes, this prisoner was a
woman. Her story is a tale of resolve, grit and ultimately,
humbleness. An American hero whose story needs to be re-
peated.
“Women don’t tell war stories like men do,” observed her
daughter Betty Murphy.
Loring May Ebersole (her name later became Florence)
was born in Santiago City, Luzon, north of Manila on Oc-
tober 11, 1915. She was the daughter of US Army veteran
Charles Ebersole of the Spanish American War and a Fili-
pino Mother, the former Maria Hermosa.
The Philippines had been a US Territory from 1898 with
many Americans living on the islands.
Florence (or Betty as she was known all of her life) worked
as a stenographer for the US Army intelligence in Manila.
She met Chief Electricians Mate Charles Edward Smith a
crewmember on a PT Boat. They married August 19, 1941,
four months before war was declared. Her husband was
killed on February 8, 1942 as he tried to supply American
and Filipino troops trapped by the enemy on Corregidor Is-
land and the Bataan Peninsula.
In Manila, all military personnel were ordered to evac-
uate, apprehension for anyone remaining was imminent.
She avoided capture and interment hiding her American
citizenship and claiming herself a Philippine subject. They
offered her the position of writing names on fuel ration
tickets due to her superior penmanship. Betty wrote false
names and forged fuel ration tickets for Filipino guerrilla
members.
The guerrilla resistance ran propaganda campaigns and
intelligence gatherings. They also performed armed resis-
tance and sabotage. They discovered Japanese mines, and
Japanese spies. Her assistance was of great help.
A message from a former boss, Major Engelhart of the
Army intelligence asked for help in their imprisonment.
Food and medicine were in short supply. Betty smuggled
supplies to them.
Betty was arrested by the Japanese for her complicity in
aiding the American and the Japanese enemy forces in Oc-
tober 1944, as the Americans made strides to recapture the
Philippines. She was interrogated and then tortured with
electrical clamps on her fingers when she would not pro-
vide information about how they were assisting the under-
ground efforts. Betty was sentenced to three years’ hard
labor at the Women’s Correctional Institution in Manda-
luyong, near Manila. Her cell only allowed her to squat.
“She was down on her haunches basically every day, and
was only fed a bowl of rice gruel per day,” her daughter
Betty Murphy remembers her mother telling her.
Her rescue from the prison camp came in February 1945.
Weighing only eighty pounds, she was returned to the Unit-
ed States in a Coast Guard-manned transport. Betty re-
gained her strength and joined the Coast Guard Woman’s
Reserve (SPARS-Semper Paratus-Always Ready) on July 13,
1945 on LST-512, which had served inD-day and was then
in New York Harbor. Her basic training was at Manhattan
Beach Training Station. When asked why she enlisted, she
replied “to avenge the death of my husband.”
When the war was over, she met US Army veteran Rob-
ert Finch. They married and moved to Ithaca, New York.
By Steven Palmer
A Humble Hero
Steven Palmer entered funeral service in 1971. He is an honors grad-
uate of the New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences. He has
been licensed on both coasts, he owns the Westcott Funeral Homes of
Cottonwood and Camp Verde, AZ. Steve offers his observations on cur-
rent funeral service issues. He may be reached by mail at PO Box 352,
Cottonwood, AZ 86326, by phone at (928)634-9566, by fax at (928)634-
5156, by e-mail at or through his web-
site at or on Facebook.
Foundation Partners
Group Adds Steele’s
Family Funeral Services
ORLANDO,FL— Foundation Partners Group (FPG), a
leading provider of innovative funeral, cemetery and crema-
tion experiences and products, has announced the acquisi-
tion of the Steele’s Family Funeral Services in Winter Ha-
ven, FL. The acquisition of this firm adds to FPG’s growing
network of locations in Central Florida. “We see in Bill
and Susan Steele many of the same attributes we value as a
company, including their strong commitment to both an-
ticipate and address the changing needs and expectations of
families who have suffered a loss,” said Bob Bukala, FPG
president and CEO. “This is a strong acquisition for FPG as
it allows us to build on our presence in Central Florida.”
“Susan and I are very excited to join forces with Bob and
his team at Foundation Partners Group,” said Bill Steele,
owner of Steele’s Family Funeral Services. “We believe
FPG is the right cultural fit for our funeral home, and we
look forward to working with the team at FPG to continue
to help our families experience excellent and compassion-
ate care as they honor and celebrate the life of a loved one.”
Steele’s Family Funeral Services was founded in 1996
and has grown to become a leading funeral home in the
Winter Haven area. As third-generation professionals liv-
ing in and serving the Winter Haven community, the
Steele family has built many local ties and has developed
a solid reputation for integrity in the market.
“Bill and Susan Steele enjoy an outstanding reputation in the
Winter Haven area and are a wonderful addition to the FPG
family,” stated Justin Baxley, senior vice president of business
development at FPG. “FPG and Steele’s Family Funeral Ser-
vices are a natural fit as we share the same desire to provide the
highest value possible to those we are privileged to serve.”
Foundation Partners Group (FPG) is a leading provider of
innovative funeral, cemetery and cremation experiences and
products. As one of the largest privately owned funeral op-
erators, FPG owns and operates funeral homes, cremation
centers and cemeteries in 16 states, and is actively seeking
to expand its locations throughout the United States. With
headquarters in Orlando, FL, Foundation Partners Group is
committed to revolutionizing the funeral profession with a
customer experience-centered approach that harnesses inno-
vation and values the power of relationship and partnership.
For more information about Foundation Partners Group,
visit their website at .