Rock Island-Pulaski County IL Archives Obituaries.....Graves, Bernard Lawrence June 18, 1932
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Eric Bopes ancestry@mchsi.com February 13, 2007, 11:20 pm

The Rock Island Argus, Monday, June 20, 1932, Page 3
Druggist’s Son Loses Life in Creek on Farm Where Family Had Gone for Summer 
Outing

A long anticipated summer of carefree fun and happiness on grandmother’s farm 
had scarcely begun for the family of Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Graves, 1216 Twelfth 
avenue, Rock Island, when tragedy struck swiftly Saturday afternoon in the 
drowning of a son, Bernard, age 7.

Mr. Graves is the proprietor of the Long View drug store, 1201 Fifteenth 
street, and only last Wednesday had bade good-by to his wife and seven 
children as they clambered into an auto for the 500-mile trip to the farm of 
Mr. Graves’ mother, Mrs Mary Graves, at Villa Ridge, near Cairo, Ill.

For weeks the plans had been made, and it was an excited, happy group that 
began the journey. Late Saturday afternoon, the father received a telegram 
containing the sad news of Bernard’s death in the creek which runs through the 
farm and in which the children had been wading. Mr. Graves left immediately by 
auto and arrived at the scene early Sunday.

Steps Into Hole.

The creek is shallow and had never been regarded as harboring any danger, but 
Bernard apparently stepped into a hole, the existence of which had not been 
known. He sank, screaming to the other children for help. While some of the 
children ran to the house for assistance, others attempted to shove a pole to 
the drowning child, but he was unable to hold it and was dead when taken from 
the water a few minutes later by a colored farm hand, the first arrival.

Bernard was a pupil at St. Joseph’s Catholic school, happy, exuberant lad who, 
although not yet 8, had just completed the second grade, and had received his 
first holy communion with the class of children on May 15. Brothers and 
sisters are Mary Rosalie, Edward, Theresa, Dolores Jean, Patricia and Joseph.

The funeral services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Mound City 
Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock, followed by interment in Calvary cemetery at 
Villa Ridge.


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