WENTZ, Betty & Marlene 1942

WENTZ

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 8/6/2010 at 21:17:33

HOLD RITES FOR
WENTZ CHILDREN

2 Small Girls Burned to Death in Fire Monday

CHARLES CITY, IOWA — Funeral services were held Wednesday morning for Betty Rae Wentz, 2, and Marlene Wentz, 7, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Glen Wentz, who lost their lives in a fire that destroyed their home here early Monday morning. The services were conducted in the Immaculate Conception church with the Rev. T. J. Rooney officiating and interment will be made in Calvary Cemetery, with the Hauser Funeral Home in charge.

Mrs. Wentz and Roland, 7 months old son, are in the Cedar Valley Hospital here, where they are being treated for exposure and shock, Mrs. Wentz, alone with the six children, was awakened by the fire and carried the baby and Glen, Jr., 9, out of the house. Robert, 5, tried to awaken Marlene, who told him she wanted to sleep longer and asked him to "go away." Robert ran through the flames to safety. Charles, 12, jumped to safety from a second floor window.

The mother returned to the house to try and rescue the other two children but the roaring flames barred her way. She threw stones at the upstairs windows in an attempt to attract their attention and tried to scale the outside of the house. In jumping for a window ledge she fell and hit her head and was stunned for some time. When, she was again herself, she ran to a neighbors where she telephoned the fire department.

The flames had by this time gained such headway that it was impossible to bring them under control and the house and all contents were destroyed.

Three of the children were at the homes of relatives when the fire occurred. They are Kenneth, 14, and Carroll Ann, 6, who were visiting their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. George Wentz, at Ionia, and Elaine, 13, who was visiting an aunt and attending school at Rockwell City.

Mr. Wentz, for many years an employe of the Oliver Farm Equipment Company here, has been employed in a defense factory at Rockford, Illinois. He had been visiting his family here for a few days.

[Mason City Globe-Gazette, Wednesday, December 16, 1942]