Hendricks, Grover 1935-1960

HENDRICKS, DEVRIES, MCDONALD

Posted By: Paul Van Dyke-Volunteer (email)
Date: 11/9/2010 at 10:50:41

Hawarden Man,25,Dies in Burning Wreckage

Military Services held Tuesday for Grover Hendricks who was killed Monday.

Tragedy struck again when another highway accident took the life of one Hawarden young man and injured several others in a two car collision on Highway 12 about two miles south of Chatsworth early Monday morning.

Losing his life in the burning wreckage of a car he was pinned under following the crash was Grover J. Hendricks,25, Riding with him were Randall Ballard,39, and Kenneth Schiefen,24, of Hawarden, both of whom were thrown from the car. The driver of the car had not been determined.

Ballard was taken to the Akron hospital with undetermined injuries as he did not regain conscious for some time. Schiefen was hospitalized in St. Joseph's hosptial, Sioux City, with a broken jaw, collar bone and arm, an injured knee and fractured skull.

The men were returning from a wedding dance at Akron when the Hawarden car headed north on the highway,rounded a curve out of control at high speed and skidded sideway into the path of the on coming car, according to Syvester H. Luken of Le Mars, Plymouth county coroner, who investigated.

Riding in the other car were Union county Sheriff Edward Ekren of Elk Point; Highway Patrolman John Anderson, also of Elk Point and a prisoner, Dick Dimmick,23, of Hawarden who was in custody of the officers on a bad check charge and was being returned to Union county after he was arrested earlier at Hawarden.

Sheriff Ekren sustained a severely bruised knee and Anderson had a cut on the lip. They were not hospitalized. Dimmick escaped uninjured.

The Officers and Dimmick, aided by passing motorists, attempted to rescure Hendricks and extinguish the blaze. The fire spread to the sheriff's car before Akron volunteer fireman arrived and extinguished the flames. The Hawarden car was demolished, but the sheriff's car was only slightly damaged.

Attempts to save Hendricks were futile.

Also investigating the accident were Highway Patrol Officers DickLuschen of Sioux City, Craig Vincent of Rock Rapids and Roy Vogel of Orange City and Sheriff Frank Scholer of Le Mars.

Funeral services for Grover Hendricks were held at 2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon at the Barnard Funeral home with Rev. Paul Williams officiating. Interment was in Grace Hill cemetery with Two Oakes Post American Legion conducting military rites.

He was born January 19, 1935, in Hawarden. His parents are deceased. He came home recently on medical leave after serving four years in the Navy.

Survivors are six brothers, Mose and Glenn of Hawarden, Ted and Oliver, both of Lakewood, Calif., Wendell of San Francisco and Ivan of St. Paul, Minn., two sisters Mrs. Peter Devries of Turlock, Calif, and Mrs. W.W. McDonald of Lakewood and several nephews.

Source:Hawarden Independent (8-25-1960)