WHITAKER, Dewey Elmer 1897-19 1929

WHITAKER

Posted By: Marilyn O'Connor (email)
Date: 1/23/2006 at 11:25:27

AUTO ACCIDENT CAUSES DEATH OF OSAGE MAN

Dewey Whitaker Dies at
Cherokee After Broken
Arm is Reset.

Word came from Cherokee last Thursday noon that Dewey Whitaker, who had his arm broken a week previous in an automobile accident had died suddenly, following an operation for the resetting of the arm.

Elmer Whitaker, his father; Jay Whitaker, brother; Ted Olson of Waterloo, an uncle; and C.R. Champion and Lawrence left immediately for Cherokee to get the body, returning Friday noon.

News of Dewey's death was a terrible shock to his many friends here and cast a pall of gloom over the entire community. It had been generally known that he suffered a broken arm in an automoble crash, but it was not realized here that his condition was serious.

Dewey had been working for the Schmidt Furniture store in Cherokee since June 1. He and H. W. Halford, another employee of the store, and H. J. Martin of Sioux City were riding in a Dodge coupe belonging to Martin on Tuesday night, July 23, on their way back to Cherokee from an evenings ride. When near Quimby, the lights of the car went out and the car went into the ditch.

Halford received minor scratches, and Dewey a fractured right arm. The men were taken to Cherokee by passersby. The car was badly damaged.

Dewey remained in the Sioux Valley hospital in Cherokee for several days while surgeons straightened his arm. He was released from the hospital the first of last week but the surgeons who attended him decided his arm had not been growing together properly so called him back to the hospital Thursday morning to reset the bone.

The Osage boy was placed under ether and the plaster cast removed. He died just as he was coming out from the anaesthetic, and after the operation had been pronounced successful. The doctors stated that death was caused by a portion of bone getting into the blood stream and then lodging in the brain. Death from this cause is not uncommon, the doctors said.

Dewey had been a resident of Cherokee for two months, leaving here the first of June to accept a position of funeral director and furniture salesman for the Schmidt company at that place. Previous to that time he had worked for more than ten years for C. R. Champion in Osage, and was an efficent and hard working employee. He entered Mr. Champion's store soon after graduating from Osage High school, and left because a better opportunity seemed to be available in Cherokee.

There was hardly a person in this community who did not know Dewey Whitaker. He was a "square shooter" in every sense of the word, and his word was as good as a bond. He was a lover of good clean sports and was always present at local athletic events. During his high school days he was a star football player, and the Osage teams in those days ran up big scores on all their opponents.

Dewey is survived by his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Whitaker, with whom he made his home during almost all of the thirty-one years of his life; and by one brother Jay, and one sister, Grace. His birthplace was Osage.

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the Champion funeral home, in charge of the Rev. T.P. Solem, pastor of the Osage Lutheran church. Bert Kathan sang a solo, accompanied by Mrs. Vic Husting. The pallbearers were old friends of the deceased: R. W. Burnham, Ben Donsker, Everett Stock, Pete Knudson, W. S. Guy, and Hollis Wright. Interment was in the Osage cemetery.

Osage News - August 8, 1929
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1920 Census, Osage, Mitchell, Iowa:

Dewey Whitaker
b: abt 1898
F: Elmer F. Whitaker b: Wisc.
M: Mary Whitaker b: Norway
Household:
Grace 25
J. Jay 23
Dewey 22
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1905 Census:
Post Office: Osage
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World War I Draft Registration:
Dewey Elmer Whitaker
Mitchell County, Iowa
b: 24 OCT 1897