David Johnson Vinje (1850-1910)

VINJE, HUSEBO, KEMPKES, HARTMAN, DAHL

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 2/4/2017 at 22:46:40

From Nevada Representative June 21, 1910 (front page continued to page 4)

OBITUARY

DEATH OF D. J. VINJE

Dies as He Returns Home from Minnesota

D. J. Vinje, a well known and successful lawyer of Nevada, died Saturday evening just as he was arriving home from his farm in Minnesota, where he had spent the past two months. His son John was accompanying him, and they had started from Georgetown, Minnesota, on Friday morning. There were some delays at Morehead and St. Paul, and they left the latter city at 8:30 Saturday morning. Mr. Vinje was able to walk when they started, but all the way he had been failing, and for the most of the way down Saturday from St. Paul by was of Mason City he had been unconscious. A short time before reashing Nevada John had offered him a drink and he had refused it. A few minutes later, when they came to take him off the train at Nevada, he was dead. Mr. Vinje was suffering from diabetes and he had been failing in health for a long time. Last year he made a trip back to his old home in Norway in the hope that the journey and the visit would benefit him; but they did not especially do so, and by his friends and business associates it was generally understood that his general condition was such as to threaten a rapid decline almost any time. His last effort to recuperate was in his going to his Minnesota farm in April; but though his folks at home had not been so notified, it now appears that he had been running down while there, and because of this fact he and John started home the last of the week. It was characteristic of his grit all through that he postponed the return home until his strength was too far gone to withstand the journey and the increasing hot weather. The suddenness of his death when he did die was a shock to all his friends, and the fact that his train should have been an hour late and so have failed to bring him home alive lends an especial pathos to the story.

David Johnson Vinje was born at Vos Bergens Stift, Norwy, February 20, 1850 an die at or near Nevada, Iowa June 18, 1910 aged 60 years, 3 months and 29 days. His early education was in his home country; but as a boy of eighteen he struck out for himself and came to the United States, locating first at Decorah in this state. Later he entered the law school at Des Moines which was then maintained there by Simpson College, and in June, 1876, he took his degree in law at Indianola and was admitted to practice in the supreme court. In the following fall he located for the practice of law at Nevada, where has since been his home. On October 11 of the same year he was married in Marshall county to Miss Helen Husebo, ho with their five children survives him. The children are John M., Helen L., Lulu J. (Mrs. I. R. Kempkes), Bertha K. (Mrs. Charles P. Hartman), and Arthur T. all of this city.

Mr. Vinje was a man of character and ability and of great persistence. He came over to this country as a young immigrant without notable prospects and he fought his way to success. He was a sound lawyer, had a good practice, had served the county for two terms as county attorney, was trusted as to all matters he undertook and accumulated a very comfortable estate. He was very highly regarded at home and throughout the county, and was most worthy member of the community. When he was first married he settled in the old red house which is well remembered on what is now the George Robinson corner; but soon afterwards he secured the home further south on the east side of Oak street. In the summer of 1894 he built the residence of the east side of the park, which has since been the family home. The things that he undertook he generally carried through, and the regrets at his demise are most sincere. The funeral was conducted from the Vinje home at ten o'clock this forenoon by Rev. R. E. Shaw of the Methodist church and there was a large and representative attendance. The interment was in the Nevada cemetery. There were present numerous relatives and near friends of Mr. Vinje from abroad, among them being Mr. and Mrs. Dahl, his sister and husband, Madison, Wisconsin; Judge A. J. Vinje, his brother, Superior, Wisconsin; Mr. M. K. Vinje and Miss Ellen Vinje, step-father and step-sister and Severt Tone, Dunbar; Mr. and Mrs. Nels Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. M. Husebo, Mesdames Ben Sawyer and A. Tostenson, Messrs. Myron Sawyer, Andrew Getlestad and M. T. Twedt, Misses Hattie Sawyer, Tillie Tostenson, Olive Twedt, all of LeGrande; Andrew Tone of Grinnell; Messrs. Thomas Tone and Aenas Sawyer of Gilman; Mr. Ole O. Roe of Des Moines; Mr. R. C. Twedt of Marshalltown; Mesdames Henry Thompson and Ida Hansen and Miss Sophia Watney of Roland.