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Funeral planned for Plant City soldier

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 28, 2009

PLANT CITY - A funeral service for Army Spec. Eric Lembke, who died Oct. 23 while on duty in Afghanistan, is scheduled at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Plant City's First Baptist Church, a church official said.

A visitation will be held at the church from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.

Lembke, 25, leaves behind his wife, Mashelle, and their two children, Alexis, 6, and Nathaniel, 3.

The Plant City resident joined the military on Jan, 29, 2008. Trained as a combat engineer, his main duty in Afghanistan was to help find hidden explosives and detonate them, his wife said. He was killed by an improvised explosive device while on a routine mission, Mashelle Lembke said she was told by military contacts.

On Sunday, Lembke's body was flown on a military transport to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Mashelle Lembke was flown there to view the military proceedings, she said. Lembke's body will be flown to McDill Air Force Base on Nov. 5 and transported to Hopewell Funeral Home south of Plant City.

Lembke was raised in Plant City, attended Plant City High School for a short time and graduated from Simmons Career Center in May, 2002.

The burial will take place Nov. 7, after the funeral, at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 731-8161.

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