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KOETHKE, Glenn Elmer 1923-1949

KOETHKE, SCHROEDER

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 10/2/2010 at 11:53:28

#1:

Farmer Killed
in Auto Crash

Services Wednesday
for St. Ansgar Man

ST. ANSGAR — Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 1 p. m. at the home for Glen Elmer Koethke, 25, farmer near Toeterville, and at 1:30 p. m. at St. Peter's Lutheran church in Toeterville with the Rev. Eric Meyer in charge.

Koethke was killed Saturday morning a mile south of Lyle, Minnesota, when the car he was driving struck a steel bridge on highway 218 and overturned, pinning him underneath. A passing motorist notified authorities and it was necessary to send a wrecker from St. Ansgar before the body could be extricated.

Mitchell County Coroner Ralph Whitley, Osage, said death was due to a head injury. Sheriff Ted Horn said that Koethke was on his way home from Austin when the car struck the railing on the left side of the road and slid along it for 15 feet before it overturned on the bridge.

Koethke was born on the farm where he lived all his life except for two and a half years in the army air corps. He was a graduate of St. Ansgar high school. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. Lydia Koethke; a sister, Viola; a brother, Allan, and maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schroeder, Toeterville. His father, Elmer Koethke, died four years ago.

[Mason City Globe Gazette, Tuesday, February 8, 1949]
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#2:

TOETERVILLE MAN
KILLED WHEN CAR
STRIKES BRIDGE

Funeral Services Were
Held Wednesday for Glen Elmer Koethke

Glen Elmer Koethke, 26 year old Toeterville farmer, was killed at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday when the car he was driving struck a bridge a mile south and one-quarter mile east of Lyle, Minnesota.

The accident was reported to the Mower County Sheriff by a passing motorist, and he reported it to Mitchell County Sheriff Theo Horn.

Koethke was alone in the car at the time of the accident and no witnesses to the crash could be found. Investigation showed, however, that the car hit the left side of the bridge, slid up the steel girder and fell back onto the bridge.

When found, Koethke was underneath the car. Coroner Ralph Whitley attributed the death to head injuries.

Sheriff Horn said there was evidence that another vehicle had struck the wreckage following the accident.

Glen was born February 8, 1923, on the home farm near Toeterville and was graduated from the St. Ansgar High School He spent two and a half years in the army air corps and since his discharge had worked on the home farm where he lived with his mother.

Surviving are his mother, Mrs. Lydia Koethke; a sister, Viola; a brother, Allan; and his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schroeder, all of Toeterville.

Funeral services were held at one o'clock Wednesday afternoon at the home and at St. Peter's Lutheran Church at Toeterville at 1:30. Burial was in the Toeterville Cemetery.

[Mitchell County Press, February 10, 1949]

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#3:

GLEN ELMER KOETHKE

Glen Elmer Koethke, son of Elmer and Lydia Schroeder Koethke, was born on February 8, 1923, in Union township near St. Ansgar, Iowa. He was baptized on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1923, by Rev. Johannes Lehmann and later attended public school in Union Number 3, or the Drawn school. He also attended the Parochial school at Toeterville and was confirmed on March 21, 1937 by Pastor C. Bosholm. He graduated from St. Ansgar high school on May 23, 1941.

On February 26, 1942, he enrolled in the Iowa Aircraft School at Des MOines for a period of about six weeks. April 23 1942, Glen and a friend whom he had met at the aircraft school left for Califonria to seek employment. Located at Chula Vista, California, he worked for Rohr Aircraft Corporation at San Diego until his enlistment and induction into the Army Air forces ground crew on October 12, 1942, at Fort Rosecrans, California. He began his training in the 33rd Single Engine Flying squadron at Luke field, Arizona.

On April 23, 1944, he was transferred to Truax Field, Wisconsin, being one of the five with a high IQ. He her took a course in radio mechanics. On August 14, 1944, he was transferred to Chanute Field, Illinois, where he took a pre-radar course. On October 9, 1944, he was transferred to Boca Raton, Florida, taking a course in radar IFF, graduating with a rating of corporal. He received an honorable discharge on January 19, 1945, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, to take over the farm work because of th edeath of his father on November 4, 1944.

Koethke was killed on February 5, when his car struck a bridge near Lyle, Minnesota, at the age of 25 years, 11 months and 27 days.

His mother; one brother, Allen; one sister, Viola; and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schroeder, all of Toeterville, survive.

Funeral services were held last Wednesday at AToeterville. Pall beawrers were Les Hanson, Paul Leidel, Melvin May, Robert Nichol, Robert Feldt, and John Patterson. Burial was made in the Toeterville, Cemetery.

Mitchell County Press - 17 FEB 1949
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#4:

St. Peter's Cemetery - Toeterville:

KOETHKE, Glen E. Feb. 8, 1923 -- Feb. 5, 1949
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#5:

Photo from St. Ansgar Class of 1941.

Tombstone photo on GPP
 

Mitchell Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen

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