Joseph Milford Cupp

Joseph Milford Cupp, 90, of Madison, died Saturday, March 27, 2010, at The Waters of Clifty Falls.

He was born Sept. 27, 1919, in Whitley County, Ky., the son of Millard and Bertha Caddell Cupp. He was a 1940 graduate of Corbin High School in Corbin, Ky. He served in the Army from March 24, 1942, to Sept. 19, 1945, rising to the rank of private first class, serving in company "I" of the 194th Glider Infantry, which later was reorganized in March 1944 as the 3rd Battalion, 325th Glider Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division. He received occupational specialty training as mortar gunner. He landed on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion and fought in the later campaigns of the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhineland. He was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. His awards included a Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars. He was trained as a linotype operator, first working for the Greenville Sun newspaper in Greenville, Tenn., and later at the Cincinnati Enquirer, retiring in 1980. He enjoyed dancing and attended numerous 82nd Airborne reunions. He was a basketball fan. He had lived in Madison since 1978. He loved to share his World War II experiences with younger generations by giving talks at local schools and youth organizations. He was a member of Jefferson Post 9 of the American Legion, Post 1969 of Veterans of Foreign Wars, a member of the Madison Moose Lodge and a member of Calvary Baptist Church. Passers-by frequently saw him shooting hoops in his driveway on Michigan Road.

He is survived by two daughters, Mary K. Moehlmann of Madison and Linda Cupp of Cincinnati, Ohio; three sons, Milford Wayne Cupp of Cincinnati, Ohio, Joseph Cupp of Madison and Charles Cupp of Cincinnati, Ohio; one brother, Paul Cupp of Louisville, Ky.; one sister, Mildred Cupp of Des Moines, Iowa; 14 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and several great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Myrtle McBrayer Cupp, whom he married Dec, 26, 1942, and who died June 2002; his parents; one brother, Harold; and one sister, Princess.

The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Morgan &Nay Funeral Centre. Burial will be in Fairmount Cemetery. Military honors will be conducted graveside by Jefferson Post 9 of the American Legion and the U.S. Army Ceremonial Unit from Fort Knox.

Friends may call at the funeral home Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from noon until the service.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to the 82nd Airborne Museum in Fort Bragg, N.C. Contribution cards are available at the funeral home.

Online condolences can be sent at www.morgan-nay.com.

(Obituary provided by Christie Ballinger)