Lewis, Robert C. 1896 – 1941

HILL, LEWIS, TOBEN, WICKLIFF

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 7/13/2021 at 21:35:37

Robert Lewis, Newton, Drowns
45-Year-Old Newton Man Unable to Reach Shore When Boat Capsizes
Robert C. Lewis, 45-year-old Newton man, drowned Sunday afternoon when the boat in which he and three other Newton men were fishing in the lake at Red Haw Hill state park southeast of Chariton, Ia., overturned.
The tragedy occurred in mid-afternoon. The watch Mr. Lewis was carrying stopped at 3:36 p.m.
Friends said that Mr. Lewis was a good swimmer, but became entangled in moss and weeds about 10 feet from shore.
Fireman Called
Mr. Lewis, a Maytag factory employe, Bill Smith, Sherman York and Keith York, all of Newton, were fishing from Mr. York’s motor boat. Friends said Mr. Lewis was casting and had just walked from one end of the boat to another when the boat capsized.
Mr. Smith swam to safety and Sherman York and his son, Keith, were rescued by E. H. Howell of Chariton, who reached them in a rowboat. In the meanwhile Mr. Lewis was swimming toward shore, but had bone below the surface when Howell started to assist him. Mr. Lewis fell into the lake about 15 feet from the overturned boat, it was reported.
Chariton firemen recovered the body in 25 minutes and applied artificial respiration for three-quarters of an hour.
Funeral Wednesday
The fishing party also included Mrs. York and Mrs. Smith.
Funeral services will be conducted at the Toland Funeral home here Wednesday afternoon at 2 o’clock, with burial in the McKeever cemetery near Colfax, Ia.
Immediate relatives surviving are his wife and five daughters – Nondah, 20, Rosemary, 18, Wanda, 16, Louise, 13, and DeLoris, 5 – and eight brothers and sisters, James Lewis of Des Moines, George, William, Harry, Don and Alex Lewis of Colfax, Mrs. Mary Toben of Maxwell and Mrs. Margaret Hill of Colfax.
Born in Colfax
Mr. Lewis was born at Colfax Jan. 18, 1896, son of Griffith and Florence Matilda Lewis. He was married to Noviline Wickliff of Truro, Ia., in Des Moines Dec. 30, 1919.
Mr. Lewis had worked for the Maytag company over a period covering 18 years. He was a member of the local C.I.O. The Lewis' live at 612 First Street South.
Two brothers, Griffith and Russell Lewis, preceded him in death.
Source: Newton Daily News; June 30, 1941, ,page 1