Earl E. DEYO

DEYO, MINCEMEYER, MCCREERY

Posted By: Dorothy Gosse (email)
Date: 2/28/2011 at 14:50:09

August 9, 1885 -- July 21, 1946

Earl E. Deyo, Illinois division superintendent for the Chicago Great Western railway, died at 1:45 a. m. Sunday at Mercy hospital, where he had been taken following an illness of several weeks. Services, in charge of the Hintz Funeral Home, will be Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock in the Presbyterian church, Dr. L. W. Hauter officiating. Burial will be in Woodlawn cemetery. The body is at the Deyo home, 114 7th Ave. SE. Mr. Deyo was born Aug. 9, 1885 in Dubuque county. Surviving are his wife; two daughters, Winifred and Carol and three sons, Earl, James and Dan, all of Oelwein. He also leaves two sisters, Mrs. Winnie Mincemeyer of Oelwein and Mrs. Gladys McCreery of Tucson, Ariz. Mr. Deyo had been division superintendent since April, 1936. Joining the ranks of CGW workers in 1900 as a yard and freight office worker, he went on the Illinois division as brakeman in 1904 and was promoted to conductor in September, 1906. In January, 1913 he came to work in Oelwein as a switchman, and from then until January, 1917 was successively assistant yard master, night yard master and day yard master. From January to May of that year, when he joined the army, he was general yardmaster here. Mr. Deyo returned to Oelwein June 15, 1919 as yard master, and went on the western division to act as trainmaster on the MC & FD July 1, 1920. He served as yard master at Council Bluffs from March, 1930 until Aug. 1 1934 and was then made division trainmaster, a post he filled until his appointment as division superintendent. Always interested in projects to better Oelwein, Mr. Deyo at the time of his death was a member of the Chamber of Commerce board planning the centennial celebration here. He was also on the Mercy hospital permanent advisory board, a body named to supervise the hospital improvements financed by Fayette county citizens in a drive several months ago. The general committee for the summer recreation program is another project with which he was identified. A member of Ross Reid American Legion post, he was past president of the Oelwein Rotary club. With his own duties enormously increased during the war he found time to assist the USO station canteen and give active support to many patriotic campaigns. He served, too, on the postwar planning committee set up by the Chamber of Commerce, and was a worker in the municipal election authorizing the airport and swimming pool. CGW president Harold Burtness expressed the feeling of railroaders generally when he said "I have never known a finer man than Earl Deyo." Known to his associates as an able and conscientious fellow-worker, he had made a big place for himself in the life of the community.

Oelwein Daily Register - Iowa
22 July 1946