Victoria Urbatch, Virginia Urbatach

URBATCH

Posted By: Becki Watters (email)
Date: 6/6/2010 at 17:01:27

from family scrapbook, no newspaper name

April 17, 1938
Urbatch Twins of Swaledale Among Victims
Residents of Britt, Mason City, Decorah Are in Fatality List
Iowa’s death toll leaped upward with a vengeance over the week-end as seven North Iowas were fatally injured during a period of heavy traffic due both to Easter day visiting and fine weather. Toll for Iowa was 11 dead.
The dead: Victoria and Virginia Urbatach, 21, Swaledale; M. C. Rydson, 31, Britt; Herman Gattschalk, 47, Mason City; Emma Schaub, 66, Decorah; Thomas Skinner, 23, near Clare, Walter Schiff, near Palmer.
Swaledale Twins, Britt Man Dead
Virginia and Victoria Urbatch, 21, twin sisters of Swaledale, and M. C. Rydson, 31, of Britt, were killed Sunday night when the car in which they were riding collided with the car driven by Clarion Wealth, 45, of Randall, two miles west of Randall.
The Urbatch twins had spent Easter with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Urbatch, at Swaledale, and Victoria was returning to Ames where she was a student at Iowa State college, Virginia to Adel where she and Rydson were employed at the Sears Construction company.
It was believed by officials that Wealth’s vision was blinded by the glare of the setting sun, for he turned off on a sideroad and the Rydson driven car smashed broadside into his vehicle. Coroner R. B. Lewis of Hamilton county was summoned immediately.
Virginia and Mr. Rydson were killed instantly, Victoria died later in a Story City hospital.
Wealth suffered a possible skull fracture and broken bones and was in critical condition Monday.
It was planned to hold a double funeral service for the sisters at the Meyer funeral home in Mason City at 1 o’clock Wednesday afternoon. Burial will be in Austin, Minn., cemetery.
Surviving are their parents, Mr.and Mrs. Geroge Urbatch, a brother, John of Honolulu, Hawaii; a sister, Mrs. John D. Hartman, of Hilo, Hawaii, and two grandmothers, Mrs. Laura Urbatach of Austin, and Mrs. Catherine Gribbin of Mason City.

Added: from funeral card:
Victoria and Virginia Urbatch; born June 10, 1917 Swaledale, Iowa; died April 17, 1938
Services held Meyer Funeral Home, Mason City, Iowa
Clergyman: Rev. C. E. Flynn
Interment: April 20, 1938, Austin, Minn
Pallbearers: Joe Buell, Sam Guthrie, Donald Carr, Winnie Rice, James Dusten, Joe Campbell, Paul Woister, Bob Woodward, Ray Seney, Jr, Lester Steward, Burdo Wettstein, Stanley Anderberg