In the course of less than a week, Butler lost two community leaders, Andrew Yaracs Jr. and Abie Abraham. The two men affected the lives of thousands of people in the Butler community, directly or indirectly, and in some ways their deaths mark an end of an era, as was noted in the Butler Eagle’s front-page article on Yaracs, who died on March 26 at age 88. Abraham, who was 98 when he died a few day earlier, was a well-known veteran of World War II and one of the last remaining survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March.

Abraham was best remembered for his harrowing war experience, specifically the 1942 surrender of the Philippines to Japan when he was among the thousands of American and Filipino soldiers forced to march 60 miles in tropical heat with no water. Those conditions, combined with the tortuous and brutal treatment by Japanese solders, resulted in the deaths of 20,000 men during the march.

Abraham wrote about his war experiences in two books and spoke about his story to many community and school groups.

His friends remarked that despite the atrocities he witnessed in the war, Abraham forgave his captors. He also was described as humble and someone who lived his ideals of loyalty to his country and service to his community.

For decades, Abraham was a fixture at the VA Butler Healthcare Center, where he logged 36,000 hours of volunteer service over 18 years. That remarkable record of service to veterans and their families amounts to a full-time, 40-hours-a-week job in terms of hours served.

Such a life of dedicated service to others made Abraham not only a local war hero, but an inspiration to many in the military community and beyond.

For Yaracs, most people recall his leadership in creating and running the General Butler Vagabonds Drum and Bugle Corps. Founded in 1966, the program taught hundreds, or thousands, of young people the joys of playing a musical instrument and the satisfaction of precision marching. And through the competitions that the Vagabounds participated in, many young people in Butler traveled to places across the United States that they might not otherwise have seen.

Yaracs, for a time, also had his own band and taught accordion lessons. His life was focused on music, young people and service to others.

Former students, now adults well into middle age, recall Yaracs being a mentor, and in that role he taught young people about hard work, discipline and responsibility. Former students also recall that Yaracs also let the kids have fun.

Through the Vagabond Center in Lyndora, Yaracs offered numerous community groups the free use of the building to further their good works. The annual Pancake Festival Day held every Election Day is an ongoing cooperative effort with the Rotary Club that has benefited Lifesteps since 1994.

Yaracs was also an effective business booster for Lyndora. He was instrumental in bringing a post office branch and bank to the community.

Yaracs, like Abraham, was a World War II veteran. He also was active in veterans activities, bringing the bugle corps to perform at many functions for military holidays. And Yaracs did not limit his service to music and the Vagabonds. He was a member of more community groups than can be listed here and founded the Spirit of Christmas Parade in Butler.

Perhaps the most lasting legacy of all is how Yaracs touched the lives of so many young people over 50 years, teaching them the life-enriching lesson of music and important messages about service, dedication, pride and community.

Both men, good examples of what has been called “The Greatest Generation” will be missed — and remembered.