Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Ritenburgh, Alva August 5, 1916
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Nan Wheaton wheaton1624@yahoo.com November 6, 2013, 1:23 am

Ionia Weekly Standard - Fri. Aug. 11, 1916


ALVA RITENBURGH KILLED

While Walking On Grand Trunk Right-of-Way Near Saranac

Alvah Ritenburgh, aged 54 years, a resident of Ionia, was killed near Saranac, 
Saturday night, presumably by the steamboat express west bound which leaves 
Ionia at 8:13 o’clock while he was walking on the track.

It is unknown whether he was starting out to walk home to Ionia after missing 
the last train in this direction or what was his object. The body was mangled 
beyond all recognition and it was not known until Sunday who he was. Word was 
sent here to his daughter, Mrs. L.C. Steele, with whom he lived, and a son, 
Frank Ritenburgh, who went to Saranac and identified him by a watch guard, 
which he had made for himself out of wire. They went down again today, 
accompanied by Mrs. E. Miller, to identify him at the coroner’s inquest.

The story of the accident, as told by railroad men, runs something like this, 
Ritenburgh boarded the east bound evening train at Lowell, and having reported 
to the conductor that he lost his ticket, was put off at Saranac, and must have 
started to walk to Ionia. The west bound steamboat express, a fast train, does 
not stop at Saranac regularly, but on this night the train did stop, and the 
conductor reported that his train had struck a colt or a calf east of the 
village, near the brick yard, and run over it. The train was held fifteen 
minutes, under the rules, and then proceeded west.

Besides these two children Mr. Ritenburgh leaves another son, Delbert of Lyons. 
He has also a mother, a sister and four brothers living. He has been working 
lately at Saranac and Lowell, and it is supposed that on Saturday evening he 
set out to walk back, as no trains run in this direction in the evening and the 
Sunday trains do not stop at the small stations. 

The body was brought here Sunday afternoon, and Rev. C.E. Hoag will conduct the 
funeral service at Bradley’s mortuary Tuesday morning at 10:00 o’clock. Burial 
in Balcom cemetery.



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