DIEGEL, John Adam 1878-1954

DIEGEL, MORISCHE, STARK

Posted By: Marilyn O'Connor (email)
Date: 12/13/2010 at 18:01:38

SERVICES HELD
MAY 11 FOR
ADAM DIEGEL

Entered Hospital Soon
After Returning From
Winter In Arizona

Adam Diegel, 75, retired farmer, died Sunday morning, May 9,in the Park hospital in Mason City, where he had been a patient for four weeks. He entered the hospital less than a week after his return from Phoenix, Arizona, where he and Mrs. Diegel had spent the winter.

A large crowd of grieving relatives and friends attended the funeral services Tuesday afternoon at the Evangelical United Brethren church, with Dr. H. A. Sinning, pastor of the Eden Presbyterian church,officiating. He was assisted by the Rev. W. F. Ellerbeck. Interment was in Park cemetery.

The casket was borne by John Hartwig, Selby Russell, Elmer Apel, John Freese, Dick Kupker, and Ernest Mengel of Hartley. The many floral tributes, which bore mute tribute to the affection and esteem in which the deceased was held, were arranged by Miss Audrey Freese and Miss Clare Priem. Mrs. Leslie R. Krafft was the vocalist at the rites.

John Adam Diegel was born Sept. 19, 1878, near Cassel, Germany. He came to the United States and settled at Nora Springs in 1896. On March 11, 1903, he was united in marriage to Anna Morische. They established their first residence on a farm north of Nora Springs and lived in this community all their married life, except for three years near Cartersville.
In 1949, they moved from their farm to a newly built home in Nora Springs. They had spent the past 15 winters in Phoenix, which city is the home of two of their children.

Mr. Diegel was a member of the Eden Presbyterian church north of Rudd.

Surviving are his wife, Anna; one daughter, Mrs. S. S. (Barbara) Stark of Phoenix; three sons, Harold Diegel of Phoenix, Lester Diegel and Calvin Diegel of Nora Springs; eight grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; three brothers and one sister; all in Germany.

One of the mementos that the family treasures is Mr. Diegel's autobiography, written by his own hand for his granddaughter. It begins with " The first event in my life which I can remember ... on my third birthday: and includes his early school in Germany, his graduation and confirmation at the age of 13. After that he worked for a time in the government forests, and the article includes a description of the systematic manner in which the government forests are handled.

His parents decided that, since there was traditionally a blacksmith in the Diegel families, Adam should learn that trade. "That, he wrote, was the begining of a three-year period of hardships-intensive training for body and mind, and the indirect casue for my leaving my home country."

"My Master was good-hearted and as I wasn't getting any wages those three years, he always gave me 20 phennigs (five cents) on Sundays and 50 on holidays." Adam spent the money on books, some of which were stories about America, and they "finally gave me the idea that that was the contry for me". He wrote to "the Marth boys" here, they bought his ticket of "Mr. Piehn, president of the First National Bank in Nora Springs" and after some complications, he arrived in Nora Springs, Aug. 16, 1896.

The day he arrived here he "spent 75c of my last dollar for a jacket, that left me with 25c cash, "68 debt for the ticket and a lot of ambition." His first job was for "W Brandau-pitching bundles on a stack at $1 a day. I didn't feel half bad. At that rate I would get rich in no time".

He went back to Germany in December 1899 "to see my folks to get their blessings, even though it almost broke their hearts when I said Auf
Wiedershen to them, the last time on this earth."

(1954)