Norton Vernon Retzsch

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 9, 1918, he was the son of Albert and Mattie Retzsch. A graduate of Hughes High School, he was active in swimming and volleyball. He also worked as a page at the Old Cincinnati Library on Vine Street, a role that meant navigating five tiers of cast-iron alcoves to fulfill patron requests. In 1941, he spent the summer lifeguarding at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Norty enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on September 3, 1941, and joined Company C, 1st Marine Raider Battalion. On July 9, 1943, during the Battle of Enogai in the Solomon Islands, he was reported missing. He was declared dead in 1944 and non-recoverable in 1949. His mother’s “greatest heartache” was never knowing what happened to her son.

Norty’s life was not without love—eight months after enlisting, he married Margaret M. Toolin of Boston at St. Patrick’s Church. Following his death, Margaret also served in the Marine Corps and eventually remarried. She passed away in August 2005 without learning what happened to Norty.

In 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) renewed the search for unaccounted personnel. Through forensic science and mitochondrial DNA analysis, Norty was identified on April 1, 2025. His name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial; a rosette now marks that he has been found.

A service will be held Monday, April 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Marana Mortuary, followed by a Committal Service with Military Honors at 12:00 p.m. at Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Marana, 15950 N. Luckett Rd, Marana, AZ 85653.

Simultaneously, a memorial service hosted by the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, in collaboration with The USS Hornet Breakfast Group, will livestream the Committal Service at 2:30 p.m. local time. The public is invited.

Norty is survived by his niece Judith Hale Boyd of Tucson, Arizona, and nephew Donald Retzsch of Cincinnati, Ohio, along with great-nieces, great-nephews, and their children throughout Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Across many generations, Norty was never forgotten. The family expresses deep gratitude to the DPAA for bringing him home to rest with honor.