Jacob Olai "Jake" Nasby 1883-1948

NASBY, GJERDE

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 3/18/2014 at 23:06:07

Nasby Killed
The friends of Jacob Nasby were shocked this morning when it was announced that Jacob Nasby had fallen from a bridge scaffolding at Owatonna, Minn., and was killed. “Jake” as he was always known by the early residents had been in the employ of the Rock Island Railway in the capacity of bridge and building foreman for thirty years. He was a most trusted employee.

It so happened we were with two old timers when the news came. They both made the remark at once that “Jake” was one of the most honest and finest men they had ever known.

Mr. Nasby built a new home on the old plat of ground south of the R.I. underpass. He is survived by his widow and one son and a daughter. His two sisters, Nelsine, a teacher in the schools at Superior, and Josephine, a milliner. Funeral arrangements have not been made. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, October 7, 1948)

Jacob Nasby, 63, Dies of Injury Received in Fall
Jacob O. Nasby, 63, Estherville, died about 10 o’clock yesterday morning of a skull fracture sustained when he fell from an Owatonna, Minn., railroad bridge and struck his head on a projecting beam.

Nasby was working with a section crew of 10 or 15 men on the Rock Island railroad. The crew was engaged in building a new bridge over the Straight river about four miles south of Owatonna. Nasby was helping unload a cement mixer onto a scaffolding when he slipped and fell. In falling, he struck his head on the beam and dropped to the ground.

The accident happened about 9 a.m. Nasby was taken immediately to the Owatonna city hospital, arriving there about 9:15. The physician who was attending him saw he was failing and ordered him removed to Rochester in an ambulance. He died on the way to Rochester.

The deceased was born in Estherville Sept. 15, 1883, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tollef O. Nasby. He received his education in the Estherville schools, grew to manhood here and made the city his life long home.

Oct. 24, 1925 he was united in marriage to Josie G. Gjerde from Woden. To the couple was born two children, Sylvia Ruth who is attending St Olaf college in Northfield, Minn., and Tollef Owen, a student at Iowa State college in Ames.

Nasby was very active in church work, being a life long member of Estherville Lutheran church. He was baptized in that church in infancy and was confirmed there in March, 1900.

Railroading was his life’s work. He started working for the Rock Island when a young man and continued with that road up to the time of his death. He was a bridge and building carpenter.

Nasby is survived by his wife, and two children, and two sisters, Nilsine and Josephine, all of Estherville.

Funeral arrangements have been postponed pending the arrival of the body from Rochester. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, October 7, 1948)

Nasby Rites Tomorrow
Funeral services for Jacob O. Nasby will be held 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Nasby home on S. Ninth street and 2 p.m. at the Estherville Lutheran church. The Rev. Axel Sheveland will be in charge of the services with burial in the Lutheran cemetery north of Estherville. Pall bearers will be Torres Fossell, Oscar Peterson, Jacob Jacobson, Chris Gronstal, Martin Berge and Steen Tendal. Nasby was fatally injured Wednesday morning in a fall from a Rock Island railroad bridge under construction south of Owatonna, Minn. He was helping load a cement mixer onto a scaffolding, slipped and fell, striking his head on a berm before dropping to the ground. He died in an ambulance on the way to a Rochester hospital. Death was attributed to a skull fracture. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, October 8, 1948)