OBIT: Walter Charles "Duke" DIVELY, 1930, native of Somerset County, PA

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Meyersdale Library.
Transcribed and proofread by: Richard Boyer.

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http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
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WALTER CHARLES DIVELY

"Duke" Dively's Death Due to Gas
Fire Which Threatened Sheetz Home and Store Fatal to Sheetz Protegee

  Fire in the basement of Elie Sheetz's home and famous Martha Washington candy 
store at 505 12th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., early Sunday morning, Nov. 
16th, not only threatened the destruction of the Sheetz establishment with its 
valuable historical relics and art treasures, but resulted in the death of 
Walter Charles Dively, better known as "Duke" Dively, a well known and popular 
member of Mr. Sheetz's household.
  The Sheetz store is usually kept open until midnight on Saturday nights, and 
some of the employees sometimes remain on duty for several hours longer in 
tidying up and getting things in shape for the next business day.  It so 
happened that Mr. Dively and Richard Morris, another employe of Mr. Sheetz were 
in the store until 4 o'clock on the morning of the 16th inst.  Smelling smoke 
about that hour they went to the basement to investigate the source of the smoke 
and found an oil-burning water heater used in supplying the Sheetz building with 
hot water, in a mass of flames.  They got busy and apparently succeeded in 
extinguishing the fire and returned to the store on the street floor where they 
talked with Mr. Sheetz who had been roused from his bed by the alarm of fire and 
came down stairs to learn what had happened.
  While Dively and Morris were telling Mr. Sheetz about their battle with the 
flames the fire broke out afresh and seizing the fire extinguishers Dively and 
Morris returned to the basement and again subdued the flames.
  Again returning to the store, Mr. Dively resumed his conversation with Mr. 
Sheetz and while seated on a bench talking he complained of feeling ill and 
asked for a glass of water.  After he drank the water that was handed to him he 
suddenly collapsed and fell forward unconscious.  Mr. Morris rushed him to the 
Emergency Hospital where he was pronounced dead.  Dr. A. MacGruder MacDonald, 
deputy coroner, who performed an autopsy, declared he found evidence of gas 
poisoning and expressed the opinion that the man died from the effects of 
inhaling carbon monoxide fumes while fighting the fire caused by the oil-burner.
  "Duke" Dively was born July 31, 1887, and was therefore past 43 years of age.  
He was a native of Berlin, which is also Elie Sheetz's home town.  He had an 
attractive personality and was in Washington with Mr. Sheetz for about twenty-
five years, the last few years as his employer's almost constant companion.  He 
accompanied Mr. Sheetz on all of his trips and looked after his personal 
comfort.
  The dead man is survived by his wife, Mrs. Laura V. Dively and one daughter, 
Miss Bernice Talent Dively; also by one brother, John Dively, of Meyersdale, who 
attended his funeral.
  Funeral services were conducted at 1 o'clock Tuesday, November 18th, in the 
double parlors of the Elie Sheetz home.  Rev. Hugh T. Stevenson of the Bethany 
Baptist Church, Mr. Sheetz's pastor, officiated.
  Mr. Sheetz showed his devotion for his deceased friend and protegee by having 
his body laid away in his private mausoleum in Rock Creek Cemetery, where the 
remains of Mrs. Sheetz repose and where Mr. Sheetz, too, expects to be at rest 
after his busy life's close.

Meyersdale Republican, November 27, 1930