Baseball in Wartime - Steve Tonsick

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Those Who Died That Others Might Be Free

World War II Hero of the Minor Leagues

Steve Tonsick

Date and Place of Birth: 1916 Granite City, Illinois
Date and Place of Death: March 28, 1943 North Africa
Baseball Experience: Minor League
Position: First Base
Rank: Corporal
Military Unit: US Army
Area Served: Mediterranean Theater of Operations

Steve Tonsick

Steve L Tonsick was born in Granite City, Illinois in 1916, the eldest of three brothers. The first baseman was signed by the St Louis Cardinals in 1937 and played for the Monett Red Birds in the Arkansas-Missouri League. He batted .232 with two home runs and 35 RBIs.

Tonsick retired from the game after one season and worked for the Granite City Steel Company. He entered military service on June 14, 1941 and served with the Army.

Corporal Steve Tonsick was killed in action in North Africa on March 28, 1943. His brother, Rudolph, also lost his life while serving with the Navy in the Pacific.

Thanks to Michael Hillmer at the Six Mile Regional Library District, Granite City, Illinois, and Davis O Barker for help with this biography.

Added September 23, 2006. Updated October 28, 2007.

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