ADLER - Frank, Shirley, & Anita, died 1983

ADLER, KEENAN, SCHNABLE, SCHWAB, WALTON, WOODS, WOODEN

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 5/25/2021 at 20:23:27

"The Fairfield Ledger
Saturday, March 19, 1983
Front Page, Columns 5 and 6

Mt. Pleasant fire kills family of 3

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Three members of a Mount Pleasant family died early this morning when their apartment was consumed by fire, Mt. Pleasant police said.

Dead are Frank ADLER Jr., 30, his wife Shirley ADLER, also 30, and their seven-month-old daughter Anita.

The fire was reported at 2:16 a.m. in a house that was being rented out as apartments, according to police.

The house, located at 206 N. Main St., was destroyed. The origin of the fire has not been determined.

Other residents who rented rooms in the apartment house fled from the fire. There were no reports of other injuries.

The state fire marshal's office has been called in to help with the investigation.

At 3:23 a.m., the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department was called to another apartment house fire at 405 N. Broadway. The apartments were extensively damaged. No injuries were reported and the origin is undetermined.

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
Monday, March 21, 1983
Front Page, Columns 1-6

No suspects in arson deaths of Fairfielders

By Larry Johnson
and
John W. Kennedy

A Fairfield family, murdered by an unknown arsonist in a Mount Pleasant apartment fire early Saturday, was to have been buried here this afternoon as the investigation into their deaths continued.

Dead are Frank and Shirley ADLER, both 30, and their 8-month-old baby daughter, Anita.

The ADLERs were victims of the first of two fires deliberately set Saturday morning. Cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation, Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Dwight Shellabarger said Sunday afternoon.

The fire, apparently set about 2:15 a.m. Saturday, extensively damaged the gray frame apartment building at 206 N. Main where the ADLERs, unemployed, had moved in with a friend only two weeks ago.

Until they moved in with Alan Nichols, the family had been living in their red Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon.

The car, loaded with Frank ADLER's tools, a baby stroller, baby blanket and infant carseat, remained parked in front of the gutted apartment building Sunday afternoon as the curious drove slowly by.

Nichols told investigators that he was awakened by Shirley ADLER, who told him the apartment was burning. Frank ADLER managed to get the baby out of her crib. Nichols escaped from the second-floor dwelling, but the ADLERs were overcome by smoke.

By late morning today, law enforcement officials had not yet released information about the origin of the fire, nor did they have any "strong suspects," according to a spokesman for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The DCI was joined by the State Fire Marshal's office and the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

Interviews with apartment tenants were proceeding Sunday afternoon, and those interviews were continuing today.

Shellabarger said Sunday that the ADLERs had little chance of being rescued.

"They were all dead when we got there," he said.

There were no injuries in the second fire, which damaged another apartment two blocks away at 3:23 a.m.

The two Saturday fires were the second suspicious set of blazes in Mount Pleasant in slightly more than two months.

"The night of Jan. 9, there were three," said Shellabarger. "Those are the only other ones that we know about."

In Fairfield this morning, Frank ADLER Sr., 310 W. Adams, said his son had "been looking for just about any job he could find." He said his son moved to Mt. Pleasant about two weeks ago after "he couldn't find nothing" during months of job-hunting efforts in Fairfield.

ADLER said Frank Jr. was born and raised in Fairfield and "lived here off and on all his life," including two weeks at the family home before moving to Mt. Pleasant.

The last steady job Frank Jr. had was selling and repairing cars in Portland, Ore., according to his father. Two years ago, Frank Jr. returned to Fairfield and had been working at odd jobs such as mowing lawns in the summer to sustain his family along with unemployment benefits.

"He had diabetes so bad," said Frank Sr. "He also had a bad back."

Relatives gathered at the ADLER residence on Adams Avenue today before the funerals.

"That was murder," said Betty ADLER, Frank Jr.'s paternal grandmother "Why would anybody want to kill an innocent baby?"

"That baby was just starting to be somebody," Mrs. ADLER said. "They must have been crazy."

Funeral services for Frank W. and Shirley S. ADLER and their daughter, Anita Ann, were held at 2 p.m. today at Behner Funeral Home with the Rev. Paul Griffis officiating. Burial was in Evergreen Cemetery. A memorial has been established to the Four Square Gospel Church.

Mr. ADLER was born April 12, 1952 in Fairfield, the son of Frank L. and Agnes KEENAN ADLER. He married Shirley SCHNABLE June 12, 1981 in Portland, Ore. He was affiliated with the Four Square Gospel Church.

Surviving are his parents of Fairfield; three brothers, Richard ADLER and Rudy SCHWAB, both of Portland, Ore., John SCHWAB, Korea, and three sisters, Regina ADLER of Portland, Vivian WALTON of California and Mary Lou SCHWAB of Fairfield.

Mrs. ADLER was born May 8, 1952 in Portland, Ore., the daughter of Otto and Clara SCHNABLE. She is survived by her mother, Clara WOODS of Portland; three brothers, Larry, Norman and Wesley SCHNABLE and one sister, Linda SCHNABLE, all of Portland.

Anita Ann was born July 19, 1982 in Iowa City.

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
Thursday, March 24, 1983
Front Page, Columns 1 - 6

Suspect arrested in arson murders

By Larry Johnson

A 25-year-old former Fairfield resident has been charged with murder and arson in connection with the deaths of three members of an ex-Fairfield family in Mount Pleasant early last Saturday morning.

Orville Richard Luke, 25, 903 N. Broadway, Mount Pleasant, was arrested at 11:13 p.m. Thursday night on three counts of murder and one of arson.

Frank and Shirley ADLER, both 30 and residents of Fairfield as late as early this month, died of smoke inhalation in the blaze, which also claimed the life of their 8-month-old daughter, Anita Ann.

Luke's initial court appearance came today at 9 a.m. before Henry County Magistrate Cynthia Danielson. Bond was set at $200,000 on each of the three murder charges and $50,000 on the arson count.

Charges were filed by Henry County Attorney Michael Riepe.

The arrest of Luke capped an intensive, 5-day investigation by Riepe, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the state fire marshal's office and the Mount Pleasant police and fire departments.

Riepe today issued a statement which broke the strict silence surrounding the investigation, telling reporters that the arrest was made following a DCI interview with Terry Vorhies, 20, now of Mount Pleasant bur formerly of the Lockridge area.

According to Riepe, Vorhies drank beer, ate pickles and watched with Luke as fire consumed the apartment at 206 N, Main where the ADLERs were staying with friends.

According to Riepe, Luke and Vorhies were walking past the 206 N. Main apartment at about 2 a.m. Saturday.

Luke told Vorhies to continue walking, Riepe said, while Luke entered the apartment building. Riepe said Vorhies asked Luke what he had done, and Luke responded that "I set fire to the place."

Riepe said Vorhies told DCI agents that the pair then went to another apartment building at 405 N. Broadway, where they went up to a cupola on the roof area and watched the fire at the Main St. dwelling where the ADLERs were trapped.

There, Riepe said, the pair drank Budweiser beer and ate pickles which they had purchased at the Mustang Market of Mount Pleasant. Riepe said the beer cans and a pickle jar from Mustang Market were recovered on the roof at 405 N. Broadway, and that Luke admitted handling those items, but told authorities that he arrived as his home at 2 a.m.

Vorhies told DCI agents that Luke became "excited" while watching the fire, and told Vorhies that he was going to set fire to something else. Vorhies left the Broadway apartment, Riepe said, leaving Luke behind.

The Broadway apartment later burned in a fire also ruled arson. Ten tenants escaped from that fire, and no charges have been filed in connection with that blaze.

Riepe said the investigation determined that there would have been a clear view of the apartment on Main from the roof of the Broadway apartment.

And he said that Luke had also lived intermittently at the Main St. apartment with his sister, Mary Luke. According to Riepe, Luke was charged with arson, burglary and criminal mischief in connection with a Jan. 31, 1978 fire at Salem Elementary School in Mount Pleasant.

Luke pleaded innocent to those charges on Aug. 11 of the same year and the charges were later dismissed.

Although the ADLERs and Luke had both lived in Fairfield, it was not known this morning if they were acquainted.

"Now that I don't know," said Frank ADLER, Sr. of Fairfield. "I don't know who they knew in Mount Pleasant."

"I'm sure glad they got somebody -- if it's the right one," ADLER said. "I was going to go down there to check today, but now I guess I won't."

From Des Moines, Roger Stevens, the assistant chief of the DCI, said today that he could not yet comment on many of the specifics of the investigation.

"This has been a very, very intensive investigation," he said, "and all I can really tell you is that we arrested him pursuant to that. At this point, we need to protect the prosecution of the case. We followed many, many leads, including some out of state. I know the public may not believe it, but the real work starts when the arrest is made -- that's when we go after it with the killer instinct."

In Portland, Ore., Shirley ADLER's mother, Clara WOODEN, said today that she was also relieved that an arrest has been made. She, too, added that she knew of no relationship between her daughter's family and the suspect.

"It's jut hard to believe something like this can happen," said Mrs. WOODEN, who is a nurse's aide at a Portland hospital.

According to Mrs. WOODEN, the ADLERs had lived with her in Portland, and were planning to return there to seek work.

"I was going to use some of tax refund check to send them a little road money so they could come back," she said.

"When they were here before, Frankie would clean up cars and wash them at car lots up the line, and then he did a lot of yard work, too. Shirley was a nurse's aide at one time, too, but she almost lost her arm with cancer, and she didn't have any strength in it. She was trying to get help from Social Security disability, and so was Frank. He had diabetes so bad that he couldn't keep steady work."

Shirley ADLER was the youngest of five children, Mrs. WOODEN said, and was active in Girl Scouts and worked as a hospital volunteer after completing a Red Cross Course. She was also active in the choir and a youth group at Portland's Bible Temple Church, her mother said.

"Her sister and some of the ones she knew there are planning a little memorial service for her this weekend," said Mrs. WOODEN.

Shirley ADLER dropped out of high school during her junior year, her mother said, and later had a son, Eddie, now 10. Eddie was later adopted, Mrs. WOODEN said.

"They keep in contact," Mrs. WOODEN said. "Eddie asked when Frank and Shirley were going to come back out here so she could see each other. He doesn't know yet."

Mrs. WOODEN said she had been to Fairfield last July for about a week before Anita was born here.

"I was in the delivery room, and I got to hold her, but I had to get back to Portland to get back to work," she said. "I just don't see how something like this could happen to a little baby."

Parents on both sides of the victims' families said they didn't believe reports which said the younger ADLERs had lived in their station wagon before moving in with Alan Nichols in the apartment where they died.

"I think Frank would have crawled up to a house begging before he'd have kept a baby outside in a car all night," Frank ADLER Sr. said today.

Luke has been scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing in Henry County District Court at 9 a.m. April 1.

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"The Fairfield (Ia.) Ledger"
Monday, March 28, 1983
Page 11, Column 8

CARD OF THANKS

The family of the Frank W. ADLER family wish to express their heartfelt thanks to the many friends, neighbors and relatives for the food, cards, calls, flowers, memorials and prayers. Special thanks to the Foursquare Church members for the dinner they served and to Pastor James and Pastor P.D. Griffis. Thanks to Pastor Griffis for the beautiful service. It was all so deeply appreciated and never to be forgotten.

Mr. & Mrs.
Frank L. ADLER Jr.
and family

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*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.

Note: Shirley and Anita were both interred in the Public Grounds at Evergreen Cemetery, in Row 10, Space 10; Frank was interred in neighboring Row 10, Space 9.