Iowa Old Press
Hawarden Independent, Dec 10, 1936
Was 62 Years Old and Had Been in Business Since 1904. Leaves Wife and Two
Children
Stewart W. Harker, prominent Hawarden business man, passed away at the
Hawarden hospital at 1:30 this morning following an illness of about six
weeks. During the last week in October he contracted pneumonia and on Oct.
30th was removed to the hospital in order that he might have constant care.
While he recovered from the siege of pneumonia, heart complications and a
blood infection developed which so weakened his condition that he was,
unable to overcome them. His condition was critical during nearly all the
time he was in the hospital and on. Monday night of this week he submitted
to a blood transfusion and while the reaction to that appeared favorable the
benefits proved only temporary.
It is expected that funeral services will be held at 2:30 Sunday afternoon
at the Associated church in this city with Rev. T. H. Harding in charge.
Burial will be in Grace Hill cemetery.
Stewart W. Harker was born in Argyle, Wis., Sept. 13, 1874, so was 62 years
of age. His father died when he was 5 years old and his mother when he was
only 8 and after their death he was raised in the home of his uncle and
aunt, Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Reeves. He lived with them first at Seney and then
on their farm near Akron where his early manhood was spent. Then for a few
years he was employed in a drug store at Cedar Falls, Iowa, after which he
attended Highland Park College in Des Moines where he studied pharmacy.
Following the completion of his course there, he formed a partnership with
T. J. Reeves.
They purchased the T.B. Platt drug store in Hawarden in the fall of 1904.
They operated this successfully until the fall of 1914 when they sold the
business to J. C. Stickel. For several years thereafter Mr. Harker was
engaged in the automobile business with the late J. C. Dalton and also in
the real estate business.
In 1922 he purchased the interest of Leon Harlan in the old Harlan drug
store and in partnership with G. F. Burket has since successfully conducted
this business. After engaging in business in Hawarden, Mr. Harker was united
in
marriage with Miss Louise Ericson of Akron. Mrs. Harker survives him and
there are two children, Mrs. Rex Truesdell of Hawarden and William Harker, a
Junior in high school. He is also survived by one sister, Miss Edith Harker
of Oelwein, Iowa.
Mr. Harker was a man of honor and the strictest integrity. He gave
painstaking attention to every detail of his business and was a man of the
most methodical habits. His primary interest was ever the welfare of his
family. He-will be sorely missed by his business associates in the community
and all will join in extending sincere sympathy to the members of his grief
stricken family.
Hawarden Independent
Hawarden, Iowa
Thursday, December 31, 1936
STORE ROBBER WEDS AT ORANGE CITY
Miss Myrtle Ruth Ersfeld of Sleepy Eye, Minn., and Floyd A. Otteson, one of the two men who recently robbed two stores at Orange City, were married at Orange City, Dec. 22nd after Otteson had plead guilty to the charge of robbery. After the ceremony the bride accompanied her husband to his jail cell, kissed him and then returned to Sleepy Eye. The bride wired home for money with which to buy the marriage license. She said laughingly that she would get it back from him some way. Justice DeBooy, who performed the ceremony, stated that he believed the reason for their marriage was so that the bride could get sustenance from the state during the time her husband is serving his sentence in the penitentiary.
The couple have lived together four years as common law wife and husband and have a three-year-old son, but Mrs. Otteson stated that her mother believed them to be legally married. Later Sheriff Synhorst took Otteson and his partner, Lowell Haenze, to Fort Madison, where they were sentenced to serve twenty years in the state penitentiary.