Alfred Warren FISCHER

FISCHER, UTLEY

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/6/2011 at 20:01:44

July 25, 1906 --- April 18, 1951

Boy, 14 Kills Father After an Argument

Jewell, IA - An apparently unremorseful 14-year-old boy was held in jail at Fort Dodge Thursday night for the slaying of his father, Alfred (Al) W. Fischer, superintendent of schools here and widely-known sports official. The shooting followed an argument between the father and son Wednesday evening, April 18, 1951 about how Robert was co-operating with the spring raking of the Fischer yard adjoining the school here.

Robert, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Fischer, told Sheriff E. R. Lear he pumped nine or ten bullets into his father's body from a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle his parents had given him about four months ago.

Funeral services for Alfred W. Fischer, 44, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Federated church in Jewell with the Rev. E. D. Forsell officiating. Burial will be in the Fairview cemetery at Dows. The body will lie in state at the Federated church from 11:30 until the time of the service. A graveside service by the Jewell Masonic order will be held at Dows.

Alfred Warren Fischer, son of Albert and Mathilda Fischer, was born July 25, 1906 at Dows. He was reared and educated at Dows, later attending Iowa State Teachers college at Cedar Falls from where he was graduated. He also attended the University of Iowa, and later taught school at Rowley, Iowa. He was united in marriage Aug. 20, 1936 to Miss Mildred Utley, and the couple made their home at Shell Rock where he was on the school faculty. The family moved to Ashton later, when Mr. Fischer was named superintendent. The Fischers moved again to Popejoy where Mr. Fischer headed the school system until eight years ago when the family moved to Jewell, their home since.

He is survived by his wife, one son, Robert; by his mother, Mrs. A. J. Fischer of Popejoy; two brothers, John L. Fischer of Wellsburg and William J. Fischer of Alden. Mr. Fischer was preceded in death by his father and one brother.

He was a member of the Elks and Masonic lodges and Knights of Pythias. Extremely popular among school authorities in north central Iowa, Supt. Fischer had officiated in sports activities for 22 years. He estimated that he officiated at nearly 100 football, basketball and baseball games a year. He had umpired the state high school baseball tournament for the past ten years, the state and regional Junior Legion tournaments for the past four years and had also appeared as "ref" in many state, district, county and sectional boys' and girls' cage tournaments the past 15 years. One of the phases of sports which interested him most was the Junior League baseball program. He had recently been awarded a certificate of appreciation by baseball authorities for his contribution to the youth of America as an outstanding Junior Legion baseball official.