George A. Crane (1939)

CRANE, ILGENFRITZ

Posted By: J. Rod Rood (email)
Date: 12/2/2005 at 00:03:27

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, January 4, 1939

George A. Crane, postmaster at Dexter and a leading citizen in that community for many years, died at the hospital there last Friday, following a battle of five days against pneumonia. He was 68 years of age. Mr. Crane was the father of Mrs. Mary Ilgenfritz of Winterset. He had been postmaster in Dexter since 1934, and also served as postmaster there during the Wilson administration.

Mr. Crane spent many years in the newspaper publishing field. He was a former editor of both the Casey Vindicator and the Dexter Sentinel. Near surviving relatives are his wife, and two children, George Crane of Dexter and Mrs. Ilgenfritz of Winterset. Funeral services were held Sunday from the Presbyterian church at Dexter, and burial was made in the cemetery there.
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Winterset Madisonian – January 4, 1939
Pg 2

MORTUARY

George Ariel Crane was born in Penn township, Madison county, Iowa, Sept. 12th, 1870. He was the youngest of four children of Chas. and Susan Blair Crane. He died at the Dexter hospital last Thursday morning. He was 68 years old.

His entire life was spent in Dexter with the exception of three years. The family came to this community in 1873 at the time of his mother’s decease. Mr. Crane attended the Dexter public schools and Parson’s college at Fairfield.

On Christmas eve, 1894, Mr. Crane and Mabel Dean of Dexter were married. Previously associated with his father in business in Dexter, he was postmaster at the time of his marriage. After the completion of his term as postmaster he was again actively associated with the firm of Chas. Crane & Son. In 1913 he was again appointed postmaster by President Wilson and served for eight years. Following the term he published the Dexter Sentinel and later the Casey Vindicator, which he published until he was again appointed postmaster in 1934. During his life time he served as a member of the school board and city council and active in civic affairs in Dexter where the business activities of he and his father and other members of the family have extended over a period of 65 years.

Mr. Crane is survived by his wife, his daughter, Mrs. H. F. Ilgenfritz and her husband, two children, Nancy and Dick of Winterset, his son George of Dexter, a half sister, Mrs. Cornelia Royce of --------, two half brothers, Ralph M. Crane of Vermillion, South Dakota, and Ernest B. Crane of Seattle, Wash. There are eight nephews and nieces, several of whom are here today. Mrs. James Hill is now a resident of Dexter, two sisters, Mary and Ellen, a brother, Charles, a half brother ------ and a half sister ----- preceded Mr. Crane to the Great Beyond.

Funeral services were held from the Presbyterian church last Sunday at 3 p.m. conducted by Rev. J. H. Freedline, pastor of the M. E. church. Interment was made in the Dexter cemetery.