Needham, Charles Knowlton 1868-1956

NEEDHAM, MINTEER, AXMEAR, BECK

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 4/27/2010 at 11:25:43

Grinnell Herald-Register (Grinnell, Iowa) Feb. 16, 1956

C.K. NEEDHAM, WELL KNOWN JOURNALIST, DIES TUESDAY AT LOCAL HOSPITAL

C.K. Needham, former well known Grinnell newspaper publisher, died Tuesday evening at a local hospital.

Though he had been in declining health for the past several weeks, his last illness--resulting in his death--was of short duration. He was taken to the hospital Sunday morning, and shortly after that passed into a coma, from which he did not rally.

Mr. Needham passed his 88th birthday anniversary January 13 of this year.

His newspaper experience in Grinnell dated from 1915, when he purchased The Grinnell Register from C.A. Miller. In 1936 he merged his paper with the Grinnell Herald, and the combined Herald-Register he managed with A.L. Frisbie until 1938, when Mr. Needham sold his interest in the newspaper, and retired in Grinnell.

About eight years ago Mr. and Mrs. Needham left Grinnell for Pasadena, California, where they resided until two years ago, at the time of Mrs. Needham's death. Following her demise Charley returned to Grinnell, and had since made his home at the Monroe hotel.

Prior to his Grinnell newspaper experience C.K. had been in the newspaper business at Richland, Washington, Ia., Sigourney, Montezuma, and worked at his profession as a boy at Centerville and Oskaloosa.

Mr. Needham was a 5?-year member of both the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges, and a member of the Pythians and Elks. He was a past member of the Grinnell Rotary Club and Grinnell Chamber of Commerce.

He is surived by two newspaper brothers, Sherm Needham, who is now Iowa state printer, and Bill Needham, who published the New Sharon Star until a few years ago, when he sold it out to retire.

Also, two sisters survive. They are: Mrs. Emma J. Minteer, Pasadena, Calif., and Mrs. John Axmear, Keswick, Iowa.

John Needham of Grinnell is a nephew of the deceased, as is also Bob Beck, of Centerville, a member of the Iowa state highway commission, and who has visited Grinnell officially on an few occasions.

One brother, John Needham, former Centerville, Ia., publisher preceded him in death, as did one sister, Mrs. Jesse Beck, of Centerville.

During World War II Mr. Needham was chairman of the county ration board for all of Poweshiek county. He was a life-time Repubican, and served for a time as county Republican chairman.

For more details about the life and death of Mr. Needham, please turn to A.L. Frisbie's Old Timer column on another page.

It was announced this morning that funeral services will be held from the Smith funeral home at 11 o'clock Saturday morning. Rev. John DeLong of the Grinnell Methodist church will be in charge.

Organ selections will be by Mrs. Rhee Auman.

Burial will be at Oskaloosa, where Mrs. Needham is also buried.

Graveside rites at the Oskaloosa cemetery will be at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon.