BROWN, Charles William --- 1929-1971

THIAS, BROWN, RICHEY, SVENDSEN, GRANT, GULLICKSON, QUASS, KAMIN

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 9/6/2012 at 19:25:28

Charles W. Brown

Services were held Saturday, January 9, 1971, at 2 p.m. at Castalia Zion Lutheran Church for Charles W. Brown, who died Wednesday, January 6. Mr. Brown was a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning while operating a snow plow 3 miles north of Castalia. The Rev. Duane Manson officiated.

Charles William Brown, son of Charles R. and Orpha (Thias) Brown, was born October 12, 1929 at Aurora, Illinois. He received his education attending rural school in Allamakee County and the Castalia and Postville schools. He was baptized and confirmed at the Castalia Zion Lutheran Church by the Rev. Conrad Rebelein.

Mr. Brown had been a tree trimmer and Winneshiek County maintenance worker. On January 7, 1956 he married Virginia Richey of Ashmore, Illinois at Davenport. Surviving in addition to his wife, are four children: Sherry, 13; Jerry, 12; Terry, 10 and Gary, 7, all at home; his parents the Charles R. Browns of Harpers Ferry; 2 sisters: Mary (Mrs. Arthur Svendsen) of Castalia and Kay (Mrs. Charles Grant) of Faribault, Minnesota.

Mr. Brown was a member of the Castalia Zion Lutheran Church, the Amvets and the Castalia Fire Department. He was a Corporal in the 5th army, serving in Germany from March 1951 to March 1953.

Burial was in the Pleasant View Cemetery, Castalia.
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STORM BLAMED FOR DEATHS

Charles Brown, 41, of Castalia was asphyxiated last Wednesday morning while working on a county road maintenance job clearing snow-blown roads north of the community.

Walter Gullickson, of Ossian, who was with Brown in the road maintainer, was rushed to the hospital in Postville and was reported in good condition at the end of the week.

Brown and Gullickson were working as a team in the Oshkosh snow plow attempting to open county roads. They had been summoned late Sunday to open the blacktop to Decorah for an expectant mother, Mrs. Lyle Bodensteiner.

The trip took several hours and the men rested after returning to Ossian. They plowed snow again Monday evening and Tuesday and with a few hours rest left Ossian about 9:30 Tuesday night to open the county road near the Sugar Bush North of Castalia.

The men were contacted by radio about 10:30 p.m. by the chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, Albert Quass, who was concerned about their safety. They reported everything all right.

When Quass went to work at 6 a.m. Wednesday he again tried to contact Brown and Gullickson but couldn't reach them. He suspected something wrong and took a pickup out to look for them.

He found the snow plow near the farm of Mrs. Clarence Green. Brown was already dead but Quass and Dale Green managed to get Gullickson out and to the hospital. An open window on the passenger side was credited with saving Gullickson's life. Brown was lying on the floor where there wasn't any fresh air.

It is believed that vibrations had loosened a bolt on the manifold of the plow allowing carbon monoxide to filter into the cab. The plow had been checked before the blizzard and was in good working condition.

The storm was blamed for another death at Frankville. Lester Kamin, 62, died suddenly in his car at his home near Frankville Thursday morning.

He was attempting to get his car out of a snow-blocked driveway when stricken.

Funeral services for Brown were held Saturday at the Zion Lutheran Church in Castalia.

Postville, Iowa newspaper of the time clippings, from Dorothy Schave's obituary collection.