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U.S. Army veteran Chase Massner laid to rest as hundreds of mourners pour in for support
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U.S. Army veteran, Chase Massner, was laid to rest on Monday, in Canton, Georgia, surrounded by hundreds of family, friends, and supporters.

 

Chase Massner funeral
[Photo: Team Chase]
According to Chase’s mother, Stephanie Cadena, the Iraq veteran and her only son, was born in Lakeland, Florida, on September, 4, 1987. He spent his early years in Davenport, Iowa, then moved to Woodstock, Georgia, in 1997, at age 10. He graduated from Woodstock High School in 2006.

Chase joined the US Armed Forces on January 30, 2008, and served in Baquba, Iraq. He was released from active duty on July 23, 2011. While serving, he earned numerous medals, including:

  • Army Commendation Medal,
  • Campaign Medal Iraq
  • Global War On Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT)
  • Army Overseas Service Ribbon. While serving, his unit received Meritorious Unit Commendation, Superior Unit Award and the Presidential Unit Citation.

He also received the Meritorious Unit Commendation, Superior Unit Award and the Presidential Unit Citation. Massner was honorably discharged on December 8, 2015.

Chase’s wife (r), children, and mother (l) [Photo: Daniel Wilkerson]
Massner and his wife, Amanda Massner, had two children together: Sydney Addison Massner, born June 16, 2010, and Adalynn Mae Massner, born April 26, 2013.

Friends and family fondly remember Chase as a lovable clown who had the ability to make anyone smile even on the worst of days. Cadena told CrimeOnline that her son had a magical smile and a happy-go-lucky attitude that would brighten a room as soon as he walked in.

According to military battle buddy and close friend, Ross Warnes, Chase had a strong presence felt by everyone around him.

“Chase could walk into a room and it didn’t matter if it was the most depressing of situations, he found a way to bring a smile to everyone’s face, lighten the mood and completely change the atmosphere. His presence was that strong. If our plane was going down, he would be the one to say, ‘I’ve always wanted to go sky diving.’ One of a kind for sure!”

Chase touched the hearts of even those who never had the pleasure of meeting him.

Many members of Team Chase, a group of crime fighters organized to help locate Chase, only knew him through stories, photos, and videos. Despite never meeting him, Sherry Dunn, moderator of the Facebook group, Justice for Chase Massner, told CrimeOnline she could feel his jovial spirit in the room with her as the funeral progressed.

“Today was an honorable celebration for a young man many of us never had the pleasure of meeting but you could feel him in that room today,” Dunn said. “You could feel the love he gave to others, you could picture the jokester in the stories of the pranks and jokes and good times. The person described could have been sitting next to you jabbing you every time someone would laugh.”

 

 

Chase’s loved ones search for him for a little over three years, when he disappeared on March 26, 2014, after going to Brad Clement’s home, an acquaintance. Authorities found Chase’s remains on Aug. 1, 2017, buried in the backyard of Clement’s former home in Kennesaw. The Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Massner’s death as “undetermined.”

Meanwhile, battle buddy Ross Warnes set up a GoFundMe page for Chase’s wife and little girls, to help out financially after the loss of a husband and father. You can access the page here.

[Feature Photo: Handout]