Obit of Kroutil, John Francis - Canadian County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Smiley 05 Nov 2006 Return to Canadian County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/canadian/canadian.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== ::Yukon Cemetery--Yukon OK Surnames: Originally posted at: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/yZB.2ACI/513.1.1 ..from the Oklahoman Newspaper Archives dated: 06-13-1954 Brewing Company President Is Dead John Francis Kroutil, 79, president of the Progress Brewing Co., died Saturday at 4 pm at his farm near Piedmont. Death was attributed to a heart attack. The Oklahoma business leader was president of the Yukon Mill and Grain Co., the Yukon National Bank and the brewing company since their organization. Kroutil was active in Democratic politics, actively supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 in his first campaign for the presdidential nomination. A native of Czechoslavakia, Kroutil came to Oklahoma in 1890 with his parents, settling near Yukon, where he had lived since. Turner funeral home, Yukon is handling arrangements. Death Comes at 79 For John F. Kroutil Death came Saturday to John F. Kroutil, who came to Oklahoma an immigrant boy from Czechoslavakia and rose to become one of the state's leading business and political figures. He died Saturday afternoon at the age of 79 on his farm near Piedmont following a heart attack. Kroutil who made his home in Yukon for over 50 years, was active in his many business interests until the time of his death. In addition to the presendencies of the Progress Brewing Co., and the Yukon Mill & Grain Co., he headed the Yukon Electric Co., and the Yukon National Bank. He was one of the earliest strong backers of the "Roosevelt for President" movement in 1932, heading the Roosevelt Men's League, and the "Czechoslovaks for Roosevelt." Convention Delegate In 1936 Kroutil was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, and was considered a prominent candidate for minister to Czechoslvakia, his native country. Kroutil was born in Czechoslovakia, May 24, 1875, and came to the United States with his parents, Mr and Mrs Frank Kroutil, Sr, in 1881, settling in Nebraska. The family moved to a farm near El Reno nine years later. He came to Yukon in 1900 after spending five years in Ponca City, and opened with his brother, Frank Kroutil, Jr, the present Yukon Mill & Grain Co. They started milling 50 barrels of wheat a day. Present capacity is 2,000 barrels. Brewery Foundery Since 1907 he had been president of the Yukon Electric Co., and had been president of the Yukon National Bank since its organization in 1912. Kroutil founded with the late G.F. Streich the Progress Brewery Co. in 1930. Today, the brewery with an annual capacity of 100,000 barrels is the only Oklahoma operated brewery. A member of the Catholic Church in Yukon, and the Knights of Columbus, he was an active civic leader in the Yukon community. He served on the Yukon city council for many years in the 1920's, actively promoting school building programs, aided with his own financial backing. Kroutil was a member of the Yukon school booard. In 1933 he was made a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the Oklahoma Club, the Lions, and the Chicago Board of Trade. Survivors Listed Survivors are his wife, Mary, of the home in Yukon; three daughters, Mrs John McGinley, and Mrs A. McCarthy, both of Los Angeles, Calif., and Mrs Burford Barnett, Hanford, Calif.; a sister, Mrs. A.F. Dobry, Yukon; two brothers, Robert A. and Thomas A. Kroutil, both of Yukon, and several grandchildren. Turner Funeral Home, of Yukon is handling arrangements pending the arrival of his daughters from California. Burial in the Yukon Cemetery. (photo included) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Canadian County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/canadian/canadian.html