Lewis Christian (1888-1933)

CHRISTIAN, TOLBERTSON, HUMMELL

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 5/8/2010 at 08:09:39

The Roland Record, Roland, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, December 13, 1933.

VETERAN DIED IN MINNESOTA

FUNERAL TODAY FOR LEWIS CHRISTIAN WHO DIED FROM INJURY

Lewis Christian, former Roland resident and a veteran of the World War, died at 1:20 o'clock Saturday morning at the U. S. Veterans hospital in St. Paul, Minn., where he had been confined for nearly three months following an accident in which his back was broken.

The body was taken to Kenyon, Minn., where a funeral service was held Sunday at the home of his sister, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Christian. It was then shipped here and the funeral is being held this afternoon at the J. A. Christian home and at Salem church, with Rev. Olaf Holen officiating.

The members of Roland post 307 of the American Legion will take part and he will be given military honors at the burial. The pall bearers will be fellow veterans, B. H. Knudtson, J. E. Quam, Otto J. Hanson, Peter P. Teig, Orville H. Olson and C. C. Helvig.

Mr. Christian was born in Roland July 7, 1888, and lived here until after he was grown. He was a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Christian.

When the United States entered the world war in the spring of 1917, he enlisted with the group from Roland which was sent to Waterloo and joined up with the 133rd Ambulance company, 34th Division. After the division had been assembled at Camp Cody, N. Mex., he was transferred to the 109th Ammunition Train with which he embarked for France, where he served for several months. He was honorably discharged early in 1919 and returned to Roland.

A year later he went to Butterfield, Minn., where he was engaged in farming for several years in partnership with his brother, Clarence Christian. Two years ago they discontinued farming and went to Kenyon, Minn., and it was there that he met with his fatal accident on September 19. He was employed on a farm and one morning was found lying helpless in the barn with a broken back. He had lost his balance and fallen when he was working with the horses and one of them had stepped on his back.

He was rushed to a hospital at Faribault, Minn., and later transferred to the U. S. Veterans hospital in St. Paul, where he was given treatment in an effort to bring about his recovery, but his condition became more critical as time went on and he died December 9 at the age of 45 years, 6 months and 2 days.

He is survived by two brothers and three sisters, J. A. Christian of Roland, Clarence Christian of Kenyon, Minn., Mrs. T. O. Tolbertson of Willmar, Minn., Mrs. Henry Christian of Kenyon, Minn., and Mrs. Charles Hummell of Waterloo, all of whom are here today for the funeral.