Riverside in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Lt. Col. Francis S. Hapner

Photographed by Craig Doda, June 28, 2025

1. Lt. Col. Francis S. Hapner Marker

Inscription. In memoriam
Lt Col Francis S. Hapner
USAFR 4 June 1941 - 9 June 1961
Squadron navigator
95th Bomb Group (H)
Horham (Suffolk) England
March 1943 - April 1944
Remembered by his wife

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II.

Location. 39° 46.804′ N, 84° 6.716′ W. Memorial is in Riverside, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is at the intersection of Spaatz Circle and Bong Street, on the right when traveling south on Spaatz Circle. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1100 Spaatz Circle, Dayton OH 45431, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro

and in the Miami Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within walking distance of this marker: Fifth Fighter Squadron (here, next to this marker); 95th Bomb Group (H) (here, next to this marker); 380th Bomb Group (H) (here, next to this marker); Pilot Training Class "52 Charlie" (here, next to this marker); Doolittle Tokyo Raiders (a few steps from this marker); 13th Bomb Squadron (a few steps from this marker); 417th Night Fighter Squadron (a few steps from this marker); 352nd Fighter Group (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Riverside.

Also see . . . Francis S. Hapner. HAPNER, Francis S. (Hap) Age 93, of Riverside, OH passed away Sunday, October 11, 2009 at VITAS Hospice in Dayton, OH. He was born August 16, 1916 in Hamilton, OH to Sylvester C. and Pearl V. Hapner who preceded him in death. He is also preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Mary Louis Ellers. He is survived by his daughters Nancye (Henry) Bechard, of Bedford, NH, Judi Cettel, of Cincinnati, OH, Lynda J. Hapner, of Dayton, OH, Sara L. (Charles) Burns, of Oak Harbor, OH; 4 grandchildren John (Angela) Bechard, Deborah Belville, Nicholas Burns and Katie Burns; 4

Photographed by Craig Doda, June 28, 2025

2. Lt. Col. Francis S. Hapner Marker

great grandchildren Ty Belville, Jonathan, Joshua and Matthew Bechard. Hap graduated from Hamilton High School, attended the University of Cincinnati, Wharton School of Business and Wright State University. He served with the United States Air Corp (Air Force) during World War II, flying 25 missions with the 8th Air Force, as chief navigator of a B 17. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Presidential Citation with two clusters, and many other campaign decorations. He spent his career as an Industrial Engineer working for the USDA in Washington D.C. and later working for private industry in Nashua, NH where he was employed by Phil Lamoy of 20th Century Markets as Operation Manager. He was a past president of Nashua Exchange Club and was actively involved in his community. He moved to Dayton, OH in 1969 and was employed by NCR until his retirement in 1981. After retirement, Hap renewed his commitment to service by becoming an active member of the 95th Bomb Group. He designed and was project manager of the memorial honoring this group

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which is now part of Memorial Park located at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH… (Submitted on August 16, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 86 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 16, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.