SEALMAN, Walter H. 1923-1956

SEALMAN, DIRKS

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 6/5/2022 at 13:03:47

Two Grundy Men Die In Hunting Bus Accident

Walter Sealman and Howard Kahl on Duck Hunting Trip; Stopped to Spend the Night in Hunting Cabin Near Lansing, Iowa

Walter Sealman and Howard Kahl from Grundy Center were found dead in their hunting cabin on the Mississippi five miles north of Lansing, Iowa, Monday forenoon. They died in their sleep from carbon dioxide. A bottle gas stove furnished heat for the cabin. It is believed the stove absorbed the oxygen in the cabin after the two men had retired for the night.

The bodies of the two men were found in the cabin late Monday forenoon by Lester Kahl, father of Howard Kahl, and Don Stout, who had an interest in the cabin.

The two men left Grundy Center about five o'clock Saturday afternoon. They intended to spend the night in their cabin and to hunt ducks the next morning. They had also planned to find a new location for their cabin for their use during the deer hunting season, which opens Dec. 8th. They had expected to return home Sunday evening. When the men had not returned by early Monday morning, the families became alarmed and they asked the highway patrol to report if there had been any automobile accidents during the night. When no reports of a highway accident were received, Lester Kahl and Don Stout left for the hunting cabin and when they arrived they found both men in the bed in the cabin in their sleeping bags. The fire in the gas stove was out and the inside of the cabin was freezing cold.

The sheriff and the coroner of Allamakee county at Waukon were notified and they came out at once. They were satisfied death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning and they did not regard an inquest necessary. The coroner believed the men died some time Saturday night.

Ventilator May Have Been Clogged
There is a ventilator in the ceiling of the cabin. It is believed the ventilator may have been clogged by the snow to prevent any fresh air from coming into the cabin.

The cabin was a former school bus that had served the Conrad school until a few years ago, when the school disposed of it and it was purchased by a number of young Grundy men who converted it into a hunting cabin.

The Gilbert Funeral Service at Waukon brought both of the bodies to Grundy Center in an ambulance. The body of Howard Kahl was taken to the Ferree Funeral Chapel and the body of Walter Sealman was taken to the Engelkes Funeral Home.

Funeral services for Howard Kahl were held at the Ferree Funeral Chapel at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. The service was in charge of the Rev. E. E. Basye, pastor of the Grundy Methodist church. Burial was in the Grundy Center cemetery.

Services for Walter Sealman were held at 2:30 at the Engelkes funeral home and later at the First Presbyterian church with Rev. Gerber VanPutten officiating. Burial was in the Grundy Center cemetery.

Death Shock the Community
The community was shocked when it learned of the death of the two young men, both of whom were veterans of the last World War and who had spent the remainder of their lives in this community.

Walter Sealman
Walter Sealman, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Sealman, was born in Grundy Center, March 7, 1923. He attended the Grundy Center schools. On Nov. 7, 1942, Walter Sealman and Edith Dirks were married. They are the parents of one son, Robert, age 13.

Walter served in the Seabees for 2 1/2 years during World War II, receiving his discharge in December, 1946. He served in both the European and Pacific Theaters, having been in on the Normandy Invasion and was in the Pacific Theater when the Japs surrendered.

Walter was a member of the American Legion, Amvets, and the Grundy Center Fire Department.

He is survived by his wife, the son Robert; his parents; five brothers, Wilbur, Grundy Center; Henry, Omaha; Raymond, Golden, Colo., Harold and Paul, Grundy Center; and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Walters of Aplington.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 29 November 1956, pg 1