KENOSHA, Wis. — A Kenosha man whose 100 years of life included service aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer during World War II was honored posthumously Monday night as a Kenosha Hometown Hero.
Edward W. Maurer, a lifelong Kenoshan who died July 3 at age 100, received the city’s Hometown Hero Award for the third quarter of 2026 during Monday’s Kenosha Common Council meeting. Mayor David Bogdala and Common Council President Ald. Keith Rosenberg presented the award to Maurer’s family.
Maurer was born Jan. 30, 1926, and served in the United States Navy from 1944 through 1946 during World War II. He was assigned to the USS Wadsworth with the Pacific Fleet.
His military service remained an important part of his life long after the war. Maurer and his wife, Rhea, traveled around the country to attend reunions with fellow members of the USS Wadsworth crew.
Maurer also remained heavily involved with local veterans. He was a lifetime member and former commander of VFW Post 1865 Junker-Ball and regularly spent time with other veterans at the Festival Heroes Café.
Earlier this year, Bogdala visited Maurer at his residence to celebrate his 100th birthday. The mayor proclaimed Jan. 30, 2026, as Edward W. Maurer Day in Kenosha.
“We were truly privileged, those of us who had the opportunity to meet him, know him,” Bogdala said during Monday’s meeting. “On behalf of the City of Kenosha, thank you for loaning him to us for 100 years and we appreciate everything that he has done not only for Kenosha, but for this country.”
Rosenberg told those gathered that the Common Council was privileged to recognize a man who “continued to serve long after his military service ended.”
Maurer’s daughter, Amy Maurer Greiner, described her father as a “cherished member of our family” who would never be forgotten.
“He was a legend,” Greiner said.
The Kenosha Hometown Heroes Commission recognizes current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were born in Kenosha, currently live in the city or previously lived in Kenosha for at least 10 years.
