It was 75 years since Army Lt. Fred J. Knauf, a young Michigan soldier, died after his plane crashed on the Broad Mountain in Nesquehoning, but his memory has remained alive ever since.

Over Memorial Day weekend, 58 family members of the late soldier who died at age 21 traveled from all over Michigan, Illinois and Canada to Nesquehoning to visit his crash site and remember the loved one many had never met.“Uncle Fred could not have picked a better place, if he had to crash and he had to die, he could not have picked a better place (than Nesquehoning),” said Janice Hood, Knauf’s niece.“It feels like we got somebody watching from above,” she said, adding that the weekend is like a reunion for the family. “To be able to come here and thank the people of Nesquehoning and Carbon County for taking care of him. It’s pretty special.”The group who made the trek ranged in age from a niece who was 2 years old when Knauf passed to just under 7 months old.On Saturday, they were treated to a dinner at the VFW, where they were able to reminisce about the last 75 years, look at old newspaper clippings and even bring out artifacts that had been recovered following Knauf’s crash.On Sunday, the Nesquehoning UVO bused the family to the crash site, located in a desolate area off Route 93, for a brief memorial service and for the family to visit for a while.The UVO presented the American flag that hung at Knauf’s memorial to Knauf’s nephew, Fred, who was the first-born boy after the crash, before saying a prayer over the site and performing a gun salute.The family was also treated to a luncheon at the Hauto Fire Company that afternoon.On Monday, Hood spoke to those in attendance of the borough’s Memorial Day service, saying that after being asked how it felt to come to Nesquehoning for this but not really having an answer, has found the words that best describe the experience.“It is three emotions,” she said — sad, elated and honored.“I’m sad obviously because my uncle died way too young,” Hood said, choking back tears. “I’m also elated because the people of Nesquehoning have taken my family in on at least three occasions, and my third emotion, and probably the most important one, is the honor I feel.“From my family, we can’t thank you enough,” she said.Knauf was killed on March 28, 1942, just three months after earning his wings, when the Curtiss P-36 Hawk crashed into the fog. The day is a day many older residents of the borough still remember.Some have even told the family that they could remember the sounds of the plane and the crash.