Ralph Hans Greve 1915 - 1959

GREVE, MCFATE, BROWN

Posted By: Michael J. Kearney (email)
Date: 2/10/2008 at 13:05:09

The Clinton Herald Wednesday January 21, 1959 p. 1 Low Moor - The entire Ralph Greve family of four perished about 3 a.m. today as Clinton county's second such holocast in recent years leveled their Low Moor farm home during a blizzard. Dead are: The father, Ralph Hans, 43. The mother, Mary Lucille, 43. Daughter, Joyce, 14. Son, Gary, 16. Three charred bodies had been removed from the smoking rubble of the Greve farm, as of 9 a.m. today, by grim-faced neighbors, fire fighters and sheriff's department officials. The Greve farm is located 2 1/2 miles southwest of here. Rescue workers at the scene attempted in vain to identify the bodies, almost burned beyond recognition. The remains were removed to the McGinnis funeral home in DeWitt for official identification. The tragedy, perhaps the worst of its kind ever to strike this farm community had toppled the roof and part of the walls of the house when firemen arrived on the scene about 3:15 a.m. The alarm was sounded by two unidentified Bettendorf factory workers enroute from duty to the Clinton area. The pair spied the flames from Highway 67 near Folletts and rushed to the Greve farm. We pounded on the house doors and windows, but the heat drove us away, the two men told authorities. He hoped we could arouse somebody in the house. The men then sped to Low Moor where the alerted the volunteer fire department. When we arrived, were afraid all four of the Greves were in the flames, one fireman recounted late this morning, because the two family cars and the truck all were parked near the buring house. It was theorized that the fire started shortly before 3 a.m., but that the blizzard-like gale soon fanned the flames through the old structure. Firemen, on arriving at the arm, found any attempt at rescue fruitless. The roof already had crashed into the basement of the story-and-a-half, frame residence. Low Moor's fire chief, Don Fuller, and 11 of his volunteers, on the scene minutes after the alarm sounded, battled in the snow-filled north wind to prevent spread of the conflagration to four other buildings and livestock. The five-room residence was the only structure lost. Two tankers and two pumpers from the Low Moor department answered the alarm to the place known as the old Wall farm. It was thought that Mr. and Mrs. Greve were sleeping in a downstairs bedroom and that the son, Gary, had retired in a second floor room, directly above them. Three bodies were taken from the basement rubble beneath these two bedrooms. Friends of the family believed that the daughter occupied a second chamber of the two-room upstairs. Cause of the blaze had not been determined late this morning, but firemen theorized it might have been set by an overheated coal furnace or an oil-burning stove on the ground floor. "Had Mary only stayed on a night shift, she would still be alive," one feminie friend of the Greves sobbed today. "Yes and if Joyce had spent the night in DeWitt with a high school chum, as she often did, she would have escaped," another neighbor rejoined. Mrs. Greve, about a month ago, resigned her night-shift position in a DeWitt nursing home, to accept a day post in a Clinton nursing home, it was explained. Joyce, a freshman in DeWitt Community high school, frequently spent nights with classmates in DeWitt. The mother was a graduate of Jane Lamb Hospital School of Nursing in Clinton. The father was a farmer. Active in church, 4-H and the Future Farmers of America, Gary was a junior in DeWitt high school where he participated in varsity basketball and football. Joyce also was prominent in 4-H and church activities.
Obituaries
The bodies are in the McGinnis funeral home, DeWitt. Funeral arrangemets will be announced. Ralph Hans Greve was born Sept. 28, 1915, to William and Arvilla Greve of Clinton county. He was reared in the Low Moor vicinity and attended Low Moor and Clinton schools. He was a member of the United Prebyterian church near LeClaire and of the Clinton County Farm Bureau. The Greve family moved three years ago from the Princeton-LeClaire community to the Low Moor farm owned by Chester Wall. Mr. Greve's only survivor is a brother, Claus John of DeWitt. His parents preceded him in death.
Mary Lucille McFate was born April 4, 1915, to James and Christine Brown McFate of LeClaire township, Scott county. She was graduated from LeClaire high school and received her nursing degree in 1937 from Jane Lamb Hospital School of Nursing in Clinton. She was a member of the United Presbyterian church. Surviving are the mother, Mrs. Floyd Bickel of LeClaire, and brother, Lawrence McFate of Princeton. The father preceded her in death.
Gary Allen Greve was born Feb. 14, 1942, in Clinton county.
Joyce Lynne was born Oct. 18, 1944, in Clinton county. Both had won considerable recognition in the Mohawk 4-H club in their community and were members of the United Presbyterian organization.