Gomez, Kenneth Lee and Michael Joe – d. 1957

GOMEZ, KEITH

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 7/13/2021 at 21:35:37

Former Newton Residents’ Sons Drown in Pit
Des Moines – Two young Des Moines brothers, sons of former Newton residents, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gomez, were found drowned today in a gravel pit at the southeast edge of Des Moines.
The children, who failed to return home from school Wednesday, were Kenneth Lee, 9, and Michael Joe, 7. Mrs. Gomez is the former Betty Keith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Keith of Newton.
Bodies of the youths, sujects of an all-night search, were taken from the icy waters of the pit shortly before noon.
Police began dragging the pit after Herman Hanson, an off-cuty policeman, discovered two holes in the ice and footprints in the snow near the edge of the pit.
A schoolmate told the father, a parttime employe at the Des Moines post office, that Kenneth had an argument at school Wednesday afternoon.
The schoolmate said that while waiting for the school bus to take him home, Kenneth said that he didn’t think he would go home.
Mrs. Gomez, who said that the boys had “excellent” marks in school and no trouble at home, could think of no reason why the boys would run away.
The former Newton woman said that Kenneth was the leader and Michael usually went where Kenneth wanted to go.
The Gomezes have two other children, Linda, 5, and Gary, 4. They moved to Des Moines from Newton about two years ago. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gomez had been employed at the Maytag company when they lived in Newton.
Mr. and Mrs. Milo Gomez of Newton are the paternal grandparents of the drowned childen.
Source: Newton Daily News; December 19, 1957, page 1

Services Monday For Gomez Boys
Funeral services will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at the Toland Funeral home for Kenneth and Michael Gomez, who drowned in Des Moines, Dec. 18.
The boys were the sons of Joseph and Betty Gomez. Kenneth was born in 1948, at Iowa City and Michael was born in Newton, in 1950. They lived here for a number of years.
The goys are survived by their parents, a sister, Linda, 5, a brother, Gary, 4, and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. James Keith, Newton, and Mr. and Mrs. Milo Gomez, also of Newton.
Captain Robert Wilkins of the Des Moines Salvation Army will conduct the services and burial will be in Newton Union Cemetery.
Source: Newton Daily News; December 20, 1957. Page 7