LOCAL HERO RETURNING HOME

PUBLIC INVITED TO LINE ROUTE

Captain Michael Joseph Medders, US ARMY, will be returned home tomorrow, Tuesday September 30, 2008. The plane carrying his casket is scheduled to arrive at Lorain County Regional Airport, 44054 Russia Road, Elyria, OH at 12:37PM. Members of his family will meet the plane escorted by US ARMY Honor Guard and US ARMY Pallbearers. The Family and hearse carrying the casket will be escorted by numerous Police Departments to The Busch Funeral Home at 163 Avon-Belden Road, Avon Lake.

The public is invited to line the route that his casket procession will take from the airport to the Busch Funeral Home. (See routes below) Mayor of Avon Lake Karl Zuber and Mayor of Elyria William Grace have both stated “Our communities will come together to show our respect for the tragic loss of Captain Medders, please join your fellow neighbors in showing signs of support lining the funeral processional routes Tuesday and Friday this week.”

Visitation for Captain Medders will be at Avon Lake High School, 175 Avon-Belden Road, from 5-8pm Wednesday, October 1, 2008 and 3-5pm & 6-9pm Thursday, October 2, 2008.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph Church, 32929 Lake Road, Avon Lake, OH Friday, October 3 at 10:00am.

Captain Michael Joseph Medders will be buried with full military honors at St. Joseph Cemetery, 32789 Detroit Road in Avon, OH.

UPDATE: In a brief News Release today, the United States Defense Department said that Medders died on Wednesday, September 24th, in Jisr Naft, Iraq, of wounds suffered when a suicide bomber detonated a vest during operations. Medders was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.

The route from the Airport to the Funeral Home is as follows:
RUSSIA ROAD turn right and go West.
Turn Right on OBERLIN ROAD.
Turn Right on ROUTE 113 heading Northeast to LOWELL STREET.
Turn Right on LOWELL STREET then Right on LAKE AVE.
LAKE AVE. becomes WEST AVE. at curve.
Procession will pause in front of the Elyria Police Department.
Left turn on BROAD STREET.
Right turn on COURT STREET (past the front of Elyria City Hall).
Turn Left on THIRD STREET.
Turn Left on EAST AVE.
Turn Right on SECOND ST. becomes CEDAR STREET.
Turn Right on BROAD ST.
Turn Left on EAST BRIDGE ST.
Veer to Left onto GULF ROAD going North.
Turn Right on ROUTE 254 going East.
Turn Left on ROUTE 611.
Turn Right on CHESTER ROAD.
Turn Left on ROUTE 83 going North on ROUTE 83 arriving at the BUSCH FUNERAL HOME.


The route from the church to the cemetery is as follows:
Leaving the church we will exit the parking lot onto ELECTRIC BLVD and will go east to Rt. 83
Turn right on RT. 83 going south.
Turn left on WALKER RD going east.
Turn right on LEAR RD going south.
Turn left on DETROIT RD. going east to St. Joseph Cemetery