Paul Albert Fritz 1926-1943

FRITZ, DETERDING

Posted By: N Wagner (email)
Date: 12/17/2007 at 11:40:41

Paul Fritz, 17, Hawkeye high school senior, met death by accident at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, while pheasant hunting three miles west of Hawkeye, Iowa. The discharge of a gun in the hands of a hunting companion struck him in the back of the head, and his death was almost instant. Though totally unconscious from the moment, he still had a slight pulse when brought to a physician's office.

According to Sheriff Kutschat's office, this is the first fatality on record in Fayette county as a result of pheasant hunting.

Young Fritz was a member of the high school football team which had just completed an undefeated season and won the championship in the six-man football conference of northeastern Iowa. Their last game was played just two days before his death.

He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Fritz. His parents have one other child, a son, Martin Fritz, who is in North Africa as a soldier, having been inducted April 26 of this year and sent overseas two months ago without ever having a furlough home.

Three youths went together in a car to hunt. The others were Jerrald Timm, high school junior, and Noel Broadbent, who was graduated from the Hawkeye high school last spring and is employed as railroad section hand. Jerrald was driving. They saw a pheasant, and hurriedly got out of the car, Paul going to the front. Jerrald got out on his side, and took his gun out of the car. It is supposed that he placed a shell in it and that as the gun was being snapped together the piece, a .410 shotgun, was accidentally discharged. The two boys brought the body of their companion to Hawkeye at an 80-mile speed, and when they reached the doctor's office the driver fainted.

The funeral was conducted from Trinity Lutheran church by the Rev. E. W. Kraemer at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Paul Albert Fritz was born in Hawkeye March 13, 1926. He was a good student and a star in athletics. His parents are John M. and Ruth Fritz. Mr. Fritz is a Hawkeye business man. Other survivors, besides Paul's soldier brother, are his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Martha Deterding of Tripoli; and his uncle and wife, Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Fritz of Hawkeye.

Paul was baptized April 18, 1926, by the Rev. L. A. Westenberger, and confirmed on Palm Sunday, March 17, 1940, by the Rev. E. W. Kraemer. At the funeral service his pastor siad: "To his vows he remained faithful for the remainder of his short life. Paul was a clean minded, clean living, good hearted Christian young man, full of the energies and enthusiams of youth, and was well liked by young and old."