Grace McClellan 1900-1967

MCCLELLAN, FOLEY, DOUGHERTY, SHOWALTER

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 5/23/2016 at 09:19:18

5 January 1967 - The North Cedar Press

Mrs. Robert (Grace) McClellan, 67, was instantly killed by a hit-and-run driver about 1:45 a.m. Jan. 1 as she walked to her home from Hi-Way Gardens.

Mrs. McClellan, walking alone on the right hand side of the roadway was struck by a north bound car. She was in front of a duplex owned by Glen Tenley when she was hit. Her body was thrown approximately 50 feet and she fell, striking her head on the road, causing a basal skull fracture and death.

A witness to the fatal accident told Sheriff Richard Barden that he saw a car going north at "a high rate of speed" and then heard a "thump". The witness told Barden that he saw Mrs. McClellan's body in the air. He noticed the make and approximate year of the car and also that it had a 1967 license plate.

Mrs. McClellan's glasses were found at approximately the spot where she was struck. Her body was found 52 feet to the north, about a foot from the snow that had been pushed to the right side of the road. Her purse was found 30 feet from where she was hit and one of her shoes was found 78 feet away.

Kenneth Koch, the Stanwood night marshal was told of the accident and he called other peace officers by radio. Sheriff Barden, Deputy Sheriff Dick Hancock and Highway Patrolmen Richard Ward and Harvey Koch were in Clarence. They were at the scene in a few minutes.

Barden then put out a bulletin on the state police radio network and road blocks were set out in an area approximately 30 miles around Stanwood.

The witness to the accident told Sheriff Barden that the car had continued north, with the rear "fish-tailing", had turned west at the railroad tracks and disappeared.

A few minutes later a car with 2 occupants drove up to the scene of the accident and stopped. The car matched the description given by the witness. The man who was in the car got out and talked to police officers. The woman remained in the car. The witness said that the car was "like the one" that he had seen at the accident.

The couple went with Sheriff Barden to Cedar Rapids where polygraph (lie detector) tests were given at the Cedar Rapids police headquarters at 3:30 a.m. The results of the test were "inconclusive" because of the "fatigue" of the person taking test, Sheriff Barden said.

The interrogation of the couple continued until shortly before noon Jan. 1, when they were released. There were marks on the right front of the car from which samples of paint were taken. These samples, along with paint which was found on Mrs. McClellan's purse, were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation laboratory for a check to see if they match.

Sheriff Barden said that the couple told a consistent, straight-forward story that they were not involved in the accident. He added that there was not sufficient evidence to directly connect the car in which the couple was riding with the fatal accident. He will not know the results of the paint comparisons for approximately 2 weeks, he said.

Barden said that the investigation of the accident is continuing. No arrests were made, and the couple were held only on a voluntary basis for interrogation and the lie detection tests. They cooperated with the police officers in every way, he added.

Funeral services for Mrs. Robert McClellan, 67, were held Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 1:30 p.m. in the Stanwood Methodist church. The Rev. James Nelson was in charge of the services. Burial was in the Stanwood cemetery.

Pallbearers were L. W. Meyer, Lawrence Kroemer, Harry Crist, Kenneth Smith, Paul Portewig, and Fred Luedeman. Mrs. John Swift was soloist, accompanied by Mrs. Edward Speer. Mrs. L. W. Meyer, Mrs. Fred Luedeman and Mrs. James Tenley were in charge of flowers.

Grace Leone Dougherty, daughter of Charles C. and Ella Foley Dougherty, was born Feb. 17, 1900 at Stanwood. She was a lifetime resident of the Stanwood community. She was married to Robert McClellan Aug. 5, 1945 at Davenport. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary.

She is survived by her husband; a son Richard Showalter, Shreveport, La.; 2 grandchildren; and a brother, Earl Dougherty of Stanwood.