George Henry Keister Jr. (1902-1932) Alternate

BLESIE, JOHNSON, KEISTER, LARSEN, MCCURRY, PACKARD, PATTERSON, STODDARD

Posted By: Eileen Reed
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:06:42

The Goldfield Gazette
Eagle Grove, Iowa
Thursday, March 10, 1932

Geo. Keister Jr. Seriously Burned

OIL BARREL EXPLODES WHEN BLOW TORCH USED

Geo. Keister, Jr., an employe at the Whyte Motor Co. garage, was severely burned Tuesday morning. The accident happened while he was draining the oil in the crank case from Ray Cunningham's car.

Tuesday, being a cold morning, the oil did not flow very readily and in order to thin it down, George applied a blow torch to the outside of the crank case. The car was on the hoist used in the garage and an oil barrel was underneath the car to catch the old oil, with only the cap of the oil barrel open. In some manner the oil in the barrel exploded, throwing burning oil all over George. The sound of the explosion was heard by both the mechanics upstairs and by Mr. Whyte and Mr. Braden in the office. These men succeeded in extinguishing the flames on George in a short time, but not until he was severely burned from head to foot. His hair was all badly burned, his face and chest were probably the more seriously burned by fire. Nearly his entire body was burned, but especially from his waist line down was the burns more general. His legs and feet, although protected by outer clothing, were burned very deep by the hot oil.

Keister was taken to the garage office and a doctor summoned from Eagle Grove in the absence of Dr. Basinger. First aid had been applied to Keister until the doctor arrived. Upon the arrival of the doctor from Eagle Keister was taken to Dr. Basinger's office and it required nearly three hours to dress his wounds.

His condition was serious Wednesday morning, but he will probably suffer the worst the first few days.

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The Humboldt Republican
Humboldt, Iowa
Friday, March 11, 1932

GOLDFIELD, Iowa, March 9—George Keister, age thirty years, who is an assistant at the Whyte Motor company garage, was seriously burned while at work Tuesday morning. He was attempting to thaw out a crank case with a blow torch when the oil caught fire and a barrel of grease nearby exploded, enveloping his clothing with the burning oil.

His clothing was partially burned from his body and he suffered burns from head to foot, the only place not being burned being the soles of his feet. He was immediately rushed to the doctor’s office where he was treated, and will be compelled to remain until his condition will allow him to be moved. Late Tuesday night his condition was very serious, and little hope was given for his recovery.

The fire in the garage was extinguished with very little damage accomplished, except to the R. L. Cunningham car which was on the grease rack.

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The Renwick Times
Renwick, Iowa
Thursday, March 17, 1932

George H. Keister who was severely burned in a grease explosion at the Whyte garage in Goldfield last week Tuesday, died at the doctor's office as a result at 1 o'clock last Thursday afternoon. He is survived by his wife, formerly Doris Packard; His parents, Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Keister; two sisters, Mrs. Floy Larsen and Mrs. Stella Johnson and five brothers, Coyle, Mack, Lon, Scott and Watt.

Mrs. A. A. Packard, Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Packard, Mr. and Mrs. Will Blesie and children, Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Packard, Mr. and Mrs. Roy McCurry and children, Mr. and Mrs. Howard McCurry and children, and a large number of friends from Renwick and vicinity attended the funeral which was held Sunday afternoon at the Presbyterian church in Goldfield with Rev. McCracken officiating. Burial was made in the Goldfield cemetery.

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The Eagle Grove Eagle
Eagle Grove, Iowa
Thursday, March 17, 1932

Geo. Keister Dies Thursday From Burns

George Keister, Jr. died at Dr. Basinger's office on Thursday afternoon after two days of suffering from burns received from an explosion of oil at the Whyte Motor Co. on Tuesday. No hope was held for his recovery from the first as the burns were so serious. The entire community extends their sympathy to the mourning family.

Obituary

George Henry Keister was born Sept. 29, 1902 in Goldfield and died March 10, 1932 at the age of 29 years, 5 months and 21 days. His mother, Mrs. Myrtle Keister; passed away when he was but one year of age. On Sept. 1, 1929, he was united in marriage to Miss Doris Packard of Renwick. His entire life has been spent in or near Goldfield. He was always happy and cheerful and was very brave and uncomplaining during the two days of intense suffering, which preceded his death.

The funeral was held in the U. P. church on Sunday, March 13, and was attended by a large number of sorrowing relatives and friends. The services were conducted by the pastor, Rev. R. M. McCracken, with beautiful, music rendered by a male quartette and Miss Jeanette McCleery who sang a solo ''Face to Face".

Besides his wife he is survived by his father and stepmother, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. F. Keister; two sisters, Mrs. Stella Johnson of Eagle Grove and Mrs. Floy Larsen of Goldfield; five brothers, Coyle of Los Angeles, Calif., Mack, Lon, Scott and Watt of Goldfield; his grandfather, Henry McCurry of Renwick, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Relatives from out-of-town who attended the service were: Miss Lorraine Packard and Miss Alta Stoddard of Des Moines, A. D. Packard and son of Ames, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Packard of Webster City, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. McCurry and children, Mr. and Mrs. R. M. McCurry and children, Mr. and Mrs. Edred Packard, Mr. and Mrs. Burr Packard. Mr. and Mrs. Will Blesie and children, Mrs. A. A. Packard, Bert McCurry and Henry McCurry of Renwick, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Keister of Mason City, Frank Keister, Devere Keister and Miss Jeanette Keister of Elmore, Minn., and Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Patterson and son of Rolfe.

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The Hawarden Independent
Hawarden, Iowa
Thursday, March 24, 1932

George Keister Jr. of Goldfield was fatally injured March 10th when an explosion of oil occurred at the Whyte Motor Co. garage. It was known from the first that his burns were of a very serious nature and no hopes were held for his recovery. Mr. Keister, who was 29 years old, is survived by his wife.