Cornish, Curtis 1956-1974

CORNISH, PENDLETON

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 6/21/2008 at 12:15:54

CURTIS CORNISH

Funeral services for Curtis Gene Cornish, 17, rural Ireton were held at 2 p.m. Monday, February 18, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Preston township, rural Akron.

Rev. James Sandvik will officiate with burial in the church cemetery under the direction of the Schroeder Funeral Home, Akron.

Pallbearers were Tim Phillips, Kevin Jacobs, Robert Robertson, Chuck Dumas, Daniel Klemme, and Clark Tindall.

Curtis was born February 29, 1956, at Hawarden. He was a senior at Akron High School and a member of the Future Farmers of America.

Survivors include his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Cornish; three brothers, Barry and Bruce, both at home, and Gregg of Fort McLain, Ala.; paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Lucian Cornish, Ireton, maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Pendleton, LeMars, and great grandmothers, Mrs. Tena Cornish and Mrs. Will Pendleton, of Sioux Falls.

~Source: LeMars Sentinel—part of the Darrell E. Obituary Collection
~~~~~~~~~
Newspaper article about the tragic accident:

Three young Akron high school students
lost their lives In a near head-on
collision one mile south of Chatsworth,
Thursday, Feb. 14 at 8:50 p.m. and a
fourth young man died a short time later
at the Akron hospital.

Mrs. Cheryl Pageler, 24, of Craig the
only survivor of the tragic accident remains
in critical condition at St. Joseph
Mercy hospital, Sioux City.

Dead at the scene were Frederick W.
Talbott, 16, son of Mr. and Mrs. Don Tal-
bott and William J. Stibrol, 17, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Otto Stribrol, both of Akron, and
Curtis G. Cornish, 17, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Don Cornish of rural Ireton. All three
were students at the Akron Community
high school.

Jerald L. Ryan, 22, Rock Valley, brother
of Mrs. Gene Waag of Akron, died a.
short time later at the Akron hospital.
Ryan was the driver of the 1969 Chevrolet
owned by Cheryl and Vernon Pagelar of
Craig.

The Akron police department and the
Akron ambulance received a call from a
passerby arriving on the scene at approximately
9 p.m.
The crash occurred on a straight and
level stretch of Iowa highway 12 a mile
south of Chatsworth only five-eighths of
a mile into Plymouth, county.

The 1963 Rambler owned and driven
by young Talbott was northbound and the
1969 Chevrolet driven by Ryan was southbound,
when the latter vehicle apparently
crossed over the center of the road and
collided with the left front corner of the
northbound car, according to Iowa State
trooper Bill Wruck of Le Mars, one of
the investigating officers.

The Talbott vehicle went into the east
ditch, with motor remaining in the center
of the road, the car was sheered in two,
while the other car remained on the highway,
also completely demolished.

The Akron ambulance brought the occupants
of the Pagelar car to the Akron
hospital. Mrs. Pagelar was then transferred
by the same ambulance to the Sioux
City hospital. The Hawarden ambulance
was called and took the bodies of the
students to the Schroeder funeral home
in Akron.

Investigating officers on the scene
were Marv Powell of the Akron police department
and followed by deputy sheriff
Dennis Osterbuhr and highway patrol
trooper William Wruck. Sheriff Ed Guntren
and Plymouth county medical examiner
Dr. Sherman Lindell arrived on the
scene a short time later.

Trooper William Wruck stated this was
the most bizarre accident he has investigated
in his nine years as trooper.

Funeral rites for the four young men
were held Sunday and Monday of this week.

Akron Register Tribune
Thursday, February 21, 1974 Akron, Iowa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another obituary found:

Funeral services for Curtis Gene Cornish,
17, rural Ireton were held at 2 p.m.
Monday, February 18 at St. John's Lutheran
church in Preston township, rural
Akron.

Rev. James Sandvik will officiate with
burial in the church cemetery under the
direction of the Schroeder funeral home,
Akron.

Pallbearers were Tim Phillips, Kevin
Jacobs, Robert Robertson, Chuck Dumas,
Daniel Klemme and Clark Tindall.

Curtis was born February 29, 1956,
at Hawarden. He was a senior at Akron
high school and a member of the Future
Farmers of America.

Survivors include his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Donald Cornish; three brothers,
Barry and Bruce, both at home, and Gregg
of Fort McLain, Ala.; paternal grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. Lucian Cornish,
Ireton, maternal grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. Vernon Pendleton, Le Mars, and
great-grandmothers, Mrs. Tena Cornish
and Mrs. Will Pendleton of Sioux Falls.

Akron Register Tribune
Thursday, February 21, 1974 Akron, Iowa