Tosten “Thomas” Knutson (1875-1936)

KNUTSON, OPSTVEDT

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:12

From Nevada Evening Journal February 22, 1936 (page 4)

Roland People at Funeral of Victim of Heart Attack

Special to the Journal
Roland, Feb. 22--Funeral services were held at Randall Thursday afternoon for Tom Knutson, 61, farmer of that community who dropped dead earlier in the week from over exertion after shoveling his way through snowdrifts to get fuel and food to his family.

Knutson, a farmer living a half mile west and two miles north of Randall, fell dead while shoveling out his driveway through which to haul a bobsled load of coal. The attack was probably induced by the extreme cold and exposure.

The family was short of coal and Mr. Knutson had driven to Randall, where a car had arrived which was being rationed out in small quantities. He had a difficult time getting to Randall, due to the snow-blocked roads. It was about noon when he got his load. It had taken him two hours to drive the 2 1/2 miles from his farm home east of Little Wall lake to Randall. He started home just as he got the coal on his sled.

With a load of some 500 pounds on the bobsled, the trip home was even worse than the trip to town. The roads were badly drifted and he "bucked" snow practically all the way home. It was cold too. 8 below zero, and he was driving against a stiff wind the first two miles out. Both he and the horses suffered terribly. Both man and horses were in a complete state of exhaustion when they reached home. White her husband was shoveling out the driveway, Mrs. Knutson, looking out the window, saw him topple over in the snow. She rushed to his assistance and he was dead.

Neighbors were summoned and the body taken to Randall through the badly drifted road where it was examined by Dr. Willson, who found that Mr. Knutson's death had been caused by a heart attack.

A number of people from the Roland community attended the funeral service, being relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Knutson, both of whom were well known here. Mrs. Knutson, before her marriage was Miss Isabelle Opstvedt.