Frederic Gehring was the Padre of Guadalcanal. Father Gehring was known for being a big part of World War II. He died on April 26th, 1998, at the age of 95.
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During World War II, Father Gehring would cheer everyone up in his tent. The 700 soldiers needed help to stay alive. On Christmas Eve 1942, Father Gehring and his 700 soldiers sung carols all night. Father Gehring played the violin with Barney Ross, who played the keyboard. Mr. Ross was Jewish. Barney Ross played "Silent Night" and "My Yiddishe Mama." At the end, the ground was covered with tears.
Thousands of miles from China, was a six-year-old girl who was dying because of the cruelty of the Japanese soldiers. This girl needed help. And Father Gehring was the person who brought her back to life. Father Gehring named her Patsy Li. Amazingly, that happened to be her real name. Later, she was reunited with her mother. Patsy was brought to the United States with Father Gehring in 1950. Later she became a nurse, and got married. Soon after, she got divorced, and married a man named Angelo Fasano.
Father Gehring was a member of the Catholic Order. The Catholic Order was an organization that ran orphanages for Chinese children who needed help.
Father Gehring retired to Orlando, Florida, to live with his sister. His funeral was at St. Vincent's Seminary at Philadelphia, where in 1930 he was ordained.
Frederic Gehring was played by actor Richard Carlyle in the movie The Gallant Hours.