Rachel Alma (Gibbs) THOMPSON SEBBY

SEBBY, GIBBS, ADAMS, THOMPSON, KEPPERS

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/18/2014 at 22:03:55

August 13, 1903 --- September 16, 1938

MOTHER AND BABY KILLED IN AUTO;
Eagle Grove, Ia., Sept. 17.--— Mrs. Frank Sebby and her baby were injured fatally today when the automobile in which they were riding collided five miles east of here with an automobile driven by a neighbor. Miss Helen Keppers. Mrs. Sebby died in a hospital two hours after the crash. Her husband and four year old son were injured, the latter seriously. Miss Keppers escaped injury.

Oelwein Daily Register - Oelwein, Iowa
September 17, 1938

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Mrs. Frank Sebby, 36, and her daughter, Theressa, 18 months, of Eagle Grove lost their lives Sept. 16th in an automobile collision at a highway, intersection near that city. Mrs. Sebby and two children were riding in a car driven by Mr. Sebby. A cornfield at an intersection obscured the vision so that they did not see Miss Helen Keppers approaching the intersection from another direction. The Keppers car struck the Sebby car just back of the front seat, rolling it over two or three times and it came to a stop upright in a ditch along the highway. The child was thrown from the car and apparently was dead when picked up. Mrs. Sebby was crushed about the chest and passed away that evening. Mr. Sebby was also thrown from the car and was considerably bruised. Miss Keppers, and her mother, who was riding with her, were not seriously injured.

Hawarden Independent - Hawarden, Iowa
September 29, 1938

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Mrs. Frank Sebby, 36, and her daughter, Thressa, 18 months old, lost their lives in an auto collision about 5:30 Friday evening. The accident occurred 6 miles southeast of Eagle Grove at the intersection at the Henry Keppers corner. Mrs. Sebby and her two small children, Franklin and Theressa, were riding in the car driven by Mr. Sebby. They were going north; enroute home from a trip to Webster City. A corn field prevented their seeing a car driven by Miss Helen Keppers, approaching the intersection from the east. The Keppers car struck the Sebby car just back of the front seat, rolled it over two or three times and it came to a stop, upright in the ditch at the northwest corner of the intersection. (See picture on this page.)

Marks on the road indicate that Miss Keppers had applied the brakes about 30 feet from the Sebby car. Theressa was thrown from the car into the ditch, and was apparently dead when she was picked up. Mrs. Sebby was badly crushed about the chest and died about 7:30 the same evening in the O’Toole hospital at Eagle Grove. Mr. Sebby also thrown from his car was considerably bruised. Miss Keppers and her mother, Mrs. Henry Keppers, who was in the car with her daughter, escaped with minor bruises. Their car did not turn over, but had to be removed from the road before other cars could pass.

This was the first fatal auto accident in the county during 1938 and there are now two bars on the Wright County Safety Flag in the court house yard at Clarion.

Funeral services for Mrs. Sebby and her daughter were held Monday afternoon.

EAGLE GROVE EAGLE - Eagle Grove, Iowa
September 22, 1938
source - Paul Wilde

Obituary of Mrs. Frank Sebby
(By Ruth Gibbs)

Rachel Alma Gibbs was born in 1903 on a prairie farm near Minot, N. Dak. She came to Clarion with her parents when she was seven, where she was baptized and joined the Christian Church. Rachel proved to have a splendid talent for music and was soon playing first violin in the school orchestra and gave many church solos. She was united in marriage to Severin Thompson in 1919. To this union three children were born: Gerald, Merland, and Ronald. Later in 1935 she was married to Frank Sebby. Two children were born to them, Franklin and Theressa. To the many who knew and loved her, Rachel had a very sympathetic nature and cheerful disposition. She had absolute faith in her Saviour to the last.

On September 16th, 1938 upon returning from Webster City the Sebby family was in automobile accident which resulted in the death of Rachel, age 35, and her daughter, Theressa, who was born April 29th, 1937 and was baptized September 22nd, 1937. She was killed instantly. Mrs. Sebby lived several hours and breathed her last with the name of Jesus on her lips.

She leaves to mourn her immediate family, her husband, Frank Sebby, her mother, Mrs. Gordon Gibbs, her sister, Ruth E. Gibbs, and her four sons, Gerland Luther, 18, Merland Thomas, 16, Ronald Dean, 10, and Franklin D., 3.

Funeral services were held Monday afternoon, September 19th, from the Kubitschek & Kastler Funeral Home and from the Eagle Grove Evangelical Lutheran church. Burial was made in the Rose Hill cemetery.

EAGLE GROVE EAGLE --- Eagle Grove, Iowa
September 22, 1938

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[Rachel Alma Gibbs was the daughter of Gordon Gibbs and Mabel (Adams) Gibbs; Rachel was born in North Dakota; married first to Severin Thompson; then married to Frank Sebby on July 21, 1935 in Goodell, Iowa]