RIEKENA, Kent E. W. 1961-1974

RIEKENA, KOCH, PRIMUS

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 12/29/2014 at 22:41:45

Wellsburg Boy County's Third Traffic Fatality

Twelve year-old Kent E. W. Riekena was fatally injured when struck by a car on Grundy County Route D-25 in front of his parent's farm home three miles west of Wellsburg at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday.

The boy, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harlyn Riekena is Grundy County's third traffic fatality of the year and the second in the Wellsburg area.

Young Riekena had helped shell corn that afternoon on his father's other farm, located across the line in Hardin county.

He hitched a ride home with a neighbor, Don Heikens, to start on the chores while his father finished shelling.

Heikens stopped his truck in front of the Riekena home, and as the boy disembarked Heikens warned him to be careful of oncoming traffic.

At that moment an east bound vehicle, driven by Joe Hassman of Eldora, passed the truck.

Perhaps young Riekena thought that was the only other vehicle on the road, for he then started to cross the blacktop--and stepped into the path of a westbound 1963 Ford driven by Peter P. Eckhoff, 86, of RFD 1 Steamboat Rock.

Eckhoff was enroute to his farm home a half mile west and three miles south of the Riekena place. Among the witnesses to the accident was the boy's mother.

Sheriff Bill Marten said this week that from the evidence at the scene the Eckhoff car was traveling about 35 mph at the time of impact.

The Wellsburg Fire Department rescue unit was immediately summoned, but the boy was dead on arrival at the Marshalltown hospital.

When he was six weeks old, Kent escaped virtually unharmed in a two car accident on January 5, 1962, that claimed two lives--including his sister, Kelly Sue--and seriously injured his mother.

Ironically, that mishap occurred near the scene of Wednesday's fatal accident.

The obituary of Kent Riekena appears on the front of this week's Wellsburg Herald.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 13 June 1974, pg 1, 8

-----------------------------------------------

Funeral Friday At St. Paul's Church For Kent Riekena

Funeral services were held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church northeast of Wellsburg for Kent Emery William Riekena, 12, of Wellsburg, who died last Wednesday in an accident near the family farm home west of Wellsburg.

Pastor Clarence Alexander officiated at the services. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Mrs. W. C. Murray was vocal soloist, accompanied by organist Mrs. Gordon Junker. Flower attendants were Mrs. Ronald deNeui and Mrs. Glen Bakker.

Pall bearers were Dennis Huisman, Robert Geerdes, Gratus Geerdes, Glen Bakker, Ronald deNeui and Willis Nederhoff.

Doyen Funeral Home of Wellsburg was in charge of arrangements.

Kent was born on Nov. 9, 1961 at the Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Grundy Center, the son of Harlyn and Karen Koch Riekena. The family lived in Eldora for a short time and then moved to the Riekena farm west of Wellsburg. He was a student at the Wellsburg Community schools, having just finished the 6th grade.

He was baptized in the St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Wellsburg in January of 1962.

Those preceding him were: a sister, Kelly Sue, who passed away Jan. 7, 1962; his maternal grandfather and his paternal grandfather.

He is survived by his parents, two sisters, Andrea and Sarah Riekena, both at home; his maternal grandmother, Mrs. William Koch of Wellsburg; his paternal grandmother, Mrs. Emery Riekena of Wellsburg; his paternal great-grandmother, Mrs. Henry Primus of Wellsburg; and many other relatives and friends.

Interment was made in St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church cemetery.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 13 June 1974, section 2, pg 1