Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Stevens, Iva May 1923
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Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net June 24, 2013, 3:40 pm

The Ionia Sentinel-Standard, Monday, May 14, 1923

Mother’s day was a tragic time of sorrow in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wesley 
Stevens, 609 East Main street, for it brought instead of the happiness which 
marked the day in so many homes, word of the death of their daughter, Miss Iva 
Stevens, fatally burned Saturday at Portland, at the Sparrow hospital in 
Lansing about noon Sunday.  Mr. and Mrs. Stevens were in Lansing, where they 
went Saturday afternoon upon learning of the accident, at the time of their 
daughter’s death, and with others of the family who reside in Lansing came 
home today with the body.  Both were considerably bruised up, Mr. Stevens 
especially, as the result of an automobile accident at Shook’s Corners, eight 
miles south of M-16, when George Wright’s automobile, in which they were 
hurrying Portland, turned over in rounding the turn Saturday afternoon and 
crashed into a tree.  Mrs. Stevens’ life was thought to have been saved by her 
quick action in leaping into the front seat of the car just as the rear end 
struck the tree and was crushed.  Mr. Stevens was bruised considerably and 
today was suffering from the effects of the accident.  Mr. Wright was 
uninjured.

Mr. and Mrs. Stevens reached Portland in time to go with their daughter to 
Lansing, when she was rushed there to the hospital following the accident at 
the Portland filling station when she was, as it developed, fatally burned.  
According to members of the family who returned today, Miss Stevens was riding 
in the front seat of the Lansing-Ionia bus on its way to Lansing.  Ed Haney 
was the driver.

At Portland he stopped for gasoline.  The bus is a speed wagon and the 
gasoline tank is in front.  Miss Stevens was sitting on the side from which 
the tank was filled and did not get out.  Haney got out and was standing 
beside the bus.  As the tank was being filled it caught fire from a cause 
which is not known, it is said, and as the gasoline blazed up the filling hose 
was withdrawn from the tank.  Blazing gasoline sprayed over Miss Stevens, the 
story is, and soaked her clothing.  Haney reached in and pulled her from the 
car and eye witnesses of the accident took off their coats and wrapped them 
around her.  

At first it was stated that her burns were not critical but it later developed 
that most of her clothing was burned from her body which was covered with 
burns, and her face and hands were also badly blistered.  She remained 
conscious, however, and worried about the damage to her clothing, which had 
been newly purchased for her by her mother.  As soon as the serious extent of 
her injuries were seen she was hurried to Lansing, where she lived until about 
noon Sunday, dying as a result of the extensive burns and the shock.

Haney suffered some slight burns, and the fore part of the bus, a new one, was 
considerably damaged.

The body of the dead girl, who was a member of the graduating class of the 
Central school and on the eve of graduating to the high school here, was 
brought here today and taken to the Lowrey & Boynton undertaking rooms, where 
arrangements were completed for the funeral Wednesday, when services will be 
held at 1:30 from the house and at 2 o’clock from the Baptist church, Rev. 
Woodhouse officiating.

She leaves her father and mother, three sisters, Mrs. Robert Street, of 
Detroit; Mrs. Emory Steele of Detroit, and Mrs. Earl Wright, of Lansing, and 
three brothers, Will, of Chicago and Fred and Thomas of Lansing.

Subsequent Publication:  Thursday, May 17, 1923

Despite the continued rain on Wednesday afternoon, the First Baptist church 
was filled almost to capacity with sympathetic school chums and sorrowing and 
neighbors during the hour of the funeral service for Miss Iva Stevens, who was 
fatally burned Saturday when an autobus in which she was riding on her way to 
Lansing suddenly burst into flames while being filled with gasoline at 
Portland.

The service was conducted by Rev. W. T. Woodhouse and music was furnished by 
Mrs. Eugene Smith, with Miss Ethel Crispin at the organ.

Miss Stevens was a member of the eighth grade class which will graduate next 
month.  Six girl members of the class acted as honorary pallbearers and were 
Misses Helen Kreiger, Mabel Francis, Eddis Wingrove, Fern Thomas, Lucille 
Rowley, and Mabel Farrell.  The acting bearers were Jack Duffy, Harold 
Williams, John Gingrist, Emery Steele, Robert Street, and Earl Wright.

The floral offerings were beautiful.  Burial took place in the family lot at 
Highland Park cemetery.



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