Louis Wehde 1897-1962

WEHDE, PURSLEY, HAYES

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 5/18/2021 at 18:51:32

27 December 1962 - The Tipton Conservative

Last rites for Louis Wehde, 65, were held at Durant Dec. 21 with the Rev. James L. Carlson officiating. Pallbearers were Forrest and Leon Burmeister, John Crawford and Herbert Schmidt. Burial was in the Durant cemetery with the Durant Legion post holding military services at the grave.

Wehde was crushed to death Dec. 19 when the farm tractor he was driving overturned in a ditch about a half mile south of Highway 6 and 2 1/2 miles east of Stockton. The Muscatine county medical examiner put the time of death as about 9 p.m. Dec. 18.

Ronnie Gruenhagen, 18, whose parents live at the first farm south of the accident scene, discovered the upset machine and Wehde about 8 a.m. as he was driving to Davenport to attend a business school. He returned home to notify his father, Hugo.

Meanwhile, Delbert Lamp, Walcott, also discovered Wehde in the ditch and drove to Stockton from where authorities were notified. Hugo Gruenhagen and his hired hand used another farm tractor to pull the overturned vehicle off Wehde.

Gruenhagen said the tractor's headlights were on and the motor of the vehicle was cold.

The tractor ran off the gravel road and upset in a wide five-foot-deep ditch, about 100 yards north of the Rock Island railroad tracks. The overturned tractor was headed north.

The son of Detlef and Emma Wehde, he was born in Cedar county March 13, 1897. He served in World War 1 from Sept. 4, 1918 to Jan. 16, 1919 and was a member of Co. H, 87th Inf. at the time of his discharge.

He is survived by 2 sons, Leland, Lubbock, Tex., and Andrew, Iowa City; 2 daughters, Mrs. Harry (Bernice) Pursley, Tipton, and Mrs. John (Lois) Hayes, Lubbock, Tex.; a number of brothers and sisters and 6 grandchildren.