Osterfoss, Clyde DeVerne (1939-1968)

OSTERFOSS, PICKEN, BARNARD, JAMISON

Posted By: Debbie Greenfield (email)
Date: 12/12/2020 at 10:52:02

Daily Freeman Journal, Webster City, Iowa, Friday, March 8, 1968

Young Coach Dies in Car-Train Crash

Osterfoss killed in crash here

An auto-train crash at the Des Moines St. crossing near the Illinois Central depot proved fatal early last evening to Clyde DeVerne Osterfoss, 28, girls' basketball coach at Northeast Hamilton Community schools.

Seriously injured in the accident, which occurred at about 6:20 p.m. was Osterfoss daughter, Renee, 4, who received multiple injuries when she was tossed out of the car and up onto the station platform. She was rushed to the Hamilton County hospital by the rescue crew and was reported still in serious condition this morning.

Osterfoss, who resided in Webster City in the North Oak Park addition, was reportedly heading south on Des Moines St. across the main IC tracks when the car was hit almost broadside by an 85-car Illinois Central through-freight.

The long IC freight was halted in the west section of the city and blocked all the crossings for nearly half an hour while the tragedy was being investigated. The Des Moines St. crossing was finally opened at about 7 p.m.

The convertible auto was rolled over by the impact and came to a crunching stop up against two vertical steel rails which had been embedded in concrete east of the station.

Osterfoss' body was tossed up onto the station platform near the REA office entrance. The little girl was also tossed out of the car a distance of nearly 30 to 40 feet down the platform in front of the IC depot.

Engineer of the train was Joe Holdeman of Waterloo. Train crew members estimated the train was going 38 miles an hour at the time of the mishap, heading west toward Fort Dodge. They told police authorities they saw no sign of skid marks, indicating that Osterfoss had not seen the train although flashing warning lights were working at the time.

Police officials, who investigated the crash along with Sheriff E.R. Lear and his deputies, said they believed the demolished car would have rolled on and crashed into the station if it had not smashed into the four-foot high steel posts. The trunk lid of the auto was tossed nearly a quarter of a block by the impact.

At Hamilton County hospital, the attending physician said Renee Osterfoss had suffered a broken left collarbone; a fractured left arm; fractured ribs; head lacerations; concussions and multiple contusions.

Osterfoss was in his second year as a member of the Northeast Hamilton schools at Blairsburg where he taught social studies in addition to coaching the girls' basketball team.

The girls' team this year registered the best record in the history of the reorganized school district, winning 19 games and losing 5, three of the five losses being to Union-Whitten, one of the top teams in the state.

Northeast Hamilton school officials announced this morning that classes were being dismissed at 1 p.m. today for the balance of the day. The Northeast Hamilton boys' team will go ahead with its district finals game tonight at Ames against North Polk.

Students at Northeast Hamilton today started a scholarship memorial fund in honor of Coach Osterfoss.

Osterfoss rites to be on Saturday

Funeral services for DeVerne Osterfoss, 28, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Foster Funeral home with the Rev. S.W. Cunningham officiating. Following the services, the body will be taken to the Fremont Funeral Chapel at Fremont, Iowa, and will lie in state there.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the Cedar Methodist church in Cedar, Iowa, with burial in the Forest cemetery at Oskaloosa.

Clyde DeVerne Osterfoss, son of Clyde and Louise Osterfoss, was born July 23, 1939, at Hedrick, Iowa. He received his education at Hedrick and was graduated from Cedar high school, at Cedar. He later attended Iowa Wesleyan college at Mt. Pleasant, being graduated with the class of 1964.

While attending college he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

He was united in marriage April 9, 1961 to Karen Picken at Cedar, Iowa. They made their home at Wyoming, Iowa, where he taught school and was girls' athletic coach for two years. In May, 1963, the family moved to Malvern, Iowa where he was an instructor and coach.

The family moved to Webster City in 1966 and he had been teaching at Northeast Hamilton high school at Blairsburg since that time.

He is survived by his wife; one daughter, Renee Dawn; his parents; one sister, Mrs. Jack (Elaine) Barnard, and a brother, Warren Osterfoss, both of Cedar; the paternal grandmother, Mrs. Mary Osterfoss of Hedrick; the material grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jamison, Oskaloosa and one nephew, Ricky Barnard.

He was preceded in death by one daughter, Kelly Jo, who died in infancy.

He was a member of the Methodist church and the Blairsburg Lions club.