Obit: Marie Gartman and Shirley Kirk, Natchitoches Parish La.
Submitted by: Kay Thompson Brown



**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************
 

MARIE GARTMAN
Natchitoches Times August 10, 1956   Page 1

TWO LOCAL GIRLS AND NSC STUDENT DIE IN CAR CRASH FATAL TO FIVE

Two local girls and a Northwestern State College student were two of the
five persons who died late Monday night just north of Natchitoches when two
cars smashed head on a sharp curve.

Mari Gartman, 18 and Shirley Kirk, 17, Natchitoches waitresses died in the
flaming wreckage of the car in which they were riding with two Fort Polk
soldiers about 11:30 Monday night.
James Byron Hayes, 24, of Blanchard, the sole rider in the other car, died
while being carried to Natchitoches hospital by a passerby. He was discharged
from the Army in January and was attending NSC here, majoring in mathematics.
The accident occurred about seven miles north of here in the area of Mibermel
Ranch on Highway 1.

The two soldiers from Fort Polk who were riding in the car with the two girls
were identified by army authorities as Pfc. Lafe Adkins, 19, of Huntington,
West Virginia and Pfc. J.B. Case, 20, of Terry, Mississippi. They, with the
girls, died in the flaming car.
State police said it was one of the worst wrecks they had handled in this
area. The accident was investigated by Troopers Gerald Jeansonne and Robert
Arthur, and Sheriff's deputies A.B. Breazeale and E.L. Moss.
The bodies of the two soldiers were taken by helicopter to Ft. Polk about 4
p.m. Tuesday.

Funeral services for Hayes were held Wednesday in Blanchard at the Baptist
Church with the Rev. A.C. Lawton, former pastor, officiating. Burial was in
the Blanchard cemetery.

Miss Gartman's Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Oak
Grove Methodist Church here, with the Rev. Robert Durr, officiating. Burial
was in Oak Grove cemetery under the direction of First national Funeral Home.
She is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Gartman, of Natchitoches;
two brothers, Leroy Gartman of Natchitoches, and William Gartman of Powhattan;
two sisters, Miss Margaret Gartman of Natchitoches and Mrs. Pearl Brown of
Natchitoches, and her grandmother, Mrs. Lou Brown of Natchitoches.
Miss Kirk's funeral was held Thursday at 4 p.m. from the Provencal Baptist
Church, with the Rev. Duprey, officiating. Burial was in Provencal cemetery.
Miss Kirk's survivors include her mother, Mrs. Vivian Kirk of Provencal; her
father, Orbey Kirk of California; a brother Tommie Lee Kirk of Provencal; two
sisters, Evelyn and Barbara Kirk of Provencal; and her grandmother, Mrs. Evan
Donahou of Provencal, and Mrs. Birdy Frame.