Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, October 7, 1943 Adams County, Ritzville, WA ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************ ==================================================================== This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Sue Gardner sueboo18@hotmail.com ==================================================================== Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, October 7, 1943 Mrs. W. Bierman, County Pioneer, Buried Tuesday Funeral services for Mrs. William Bierman, 78, resident of Adams county for the past 56 years who died Friday afternoon at her home here, were held Tuesday afternoon at Emanuel Lutheran church with the Rev. F. J. Ahrendt officiating. Burial was in the Lutheran cemetery. Mrs. Bierman had been in ill health for the past two years, but her condition did not become serious until several weeks before her death. She was well-known and highly respected by her many friends in the county. August Theresa Bierman (nee Koeplin) was born July 9, 1865, in West Prussia, Germany, and came to the United States with her mother and a sister when she was 18 years old. They settled in Crete, Neb., but soon moved westward. She was married September 1, 1886, to William Bierman and they homesteaded about 14 miles west of Ritzville that same year. In 1904, the family moved to the farm near Ritzville now occupied by her sons, William and Henry, and in 1916 retired from active farming, moving to the Bierman home on the edge of the city. Mr. Bierman died in 1932 and Mrs. Bierman moved to her present home on Main street in 1938. Mrs. Bierman was a lifelong member of the Lutheran church. She is survived by five daughters, Mrs. Ardell Dryden, Ellensburg, Mrs. Mirick Miller, Portland, Ore., Mrs. Roy Smith, Sprague, Mable and Clara at the home; four sons, William, Richard, Henry and Edward, all of Ritzville; two sisters, Mrs. Johann Wellsandt, Ritzville, and Mrs. John Rushmeier, Lind; and four grandchildren. A fifth son, Carl, preceded his mother in death. Pallbearers at the funeral were six nephews, Emil Wellsandt, Ed Deking, Richard Koeplin, William Sickmann and W. E. Scheel, all of Ritzville, and Charles Rushmeier, Lind. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, October 14, 1943 None Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, October 21, 1943 None Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, October 28, 1943 Elmer Wagner Presumed Dead Sgt. Elmer L. Wagner, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Wagner of Ritzville, reported missing in action from a Royal Canadian air force mission over a year ago is presumed dead, according to an RCAF casualty list published this week. Sergeant Wagner was in one of two planes reported missing when his bombing group returned from a mission over Europe. He was stationed in England after having been trained in Canada. Another Ritzville member of the RCAF, Albert Hoffman, was killed in training in Canada a year ago. He and Wagner had enlisted in the Canadian air force about the same time and were in training at the same field part of the time. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, November 4, 1943 Mrs. Heimbigner Passes Sunday Mrs. Frank Heimbigner, 40, Ritzville matron, died Sunday at Sacred Heart hospital, Spokane, after a lingering illness. Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at the Zion Congregational church with the Rev. P. Ruder officiating. Burial was in the Ritzville cemetery. Mrs. Heimbigner had been in ill health for some time, but her condition did not become serious until about two weeks ago, when she was taken to the Spokane hospital. Elizabeth Heimbigner (nee Schoessler) was born October 3, 1903, in Walter, Russia, and came to the United States while still a child. She was married December 18, 1929, to Frank Heimbigner and they have since lived on his farm near Ritzville. Besides her widower, Frank, she is survived by her mother, Mrs. Barbara Schoessler, Billings, Mont.; one son Richard, at home; one sister, Mrs. Katherine Waster, Billings, Mont.; and six brothers, Jacob, Bellingham, Wash.; George, Walla Walla; Alex and Adam, Billings, Mont.; Christian, Mt. Vernon; and Conrad, Granger, Wash. Charles Phillips Died October 21 Funeral services for Charles A. Phillips, 56, Milwaukee railroad electrician who died October 21 at Pasco, were held October 25 at Othello, his home. Burial was in the Lind cemetery. Mr. Phillips was injured in a fall and was rushed to the Pasco hospital, where he died. He had been employed 28 years by the Milwaukee. Charles Arthur Phillips was born March 9, 1887, in Exeter, Mo. He was married August 26, 1938, to Iva M.Cowles and they have since resided in Othello. He was an active member of the Masonic lodge and was a past master of Othello lodge. Besides his wife, he is survived by one son by a former marriage, Clair M. of Pasco; three step-daughters, Mrs. Zola Husky of Pasco, Mrs. Vera Stewart of Tacoma, Opal Stewart of Spearman, Tex.; four sisters, Allie, Jane, Rhoda and Chloe, al of Exeter, Mo.; and two brothers, Jack of Lime, Ore., and John of San Jose, Calif. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, November 11, 1943 Death Summons Jacob Harder, Widley-Known Big Bend Cattleman Death claimed Jacob Harder, 79, one of the Big Bend's most colorful and widely-known pioneers last Saturday. Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at the Sprague Lutheran church with the Rev. H. Mau of Toppenish, an old friend of the family, officiating, followed by graveside services and burial in the Ritzville cemetery. Mr. Harder had lived in Adams county and the Big Bend country since 1883 and was one of the largest individual cattle ranchers in the United States. Despite his age, he was active in management of his vast holdings almost up the day of his death. He had been ill for only about six weeks. For the last six years, he had made his home on the former Rothrock place a few miles west of Sprague, but prior to that time lived on his Adams county ranch about 15 miles southeast of Ritzville. Much of the Big Bend history is woven around the life of the poor Danish immigrant boy who founded a cattle empire that is equalled by few in the world. He was born April 10, 1864, in Schleswig-Holstein, which was then a part of Denmark, but which later became a part of Germany. When only 19 years old, he came to the United States and settled at Three Springs bar on the Snake river. During his 10 years there, he learned much about the Indians of that region and enjoyed relating anecdotes about them. With his brothers, Hans and Max, both of whom have been dead a number of years, he entered the cattle business near Kahlotus lake, moving there from the Snake, but when that country was taken up by homesteaders who plowed up his pastures, Mr. Harder decided to move into Adams county. Purchasing the "Bob" Mason place on Cow creek, which was then largely a swamp, he spent eight years of hard labor reclaiming about 1,000 acres and making it over into one of the fine meadows of his present holdings. As the years rolled by, he added more and more pasture and grazing land to his holdings and six years ago purchased the famed Hercules ranch adjoining Sprague lake from F. M. Rothrock, well-known Shorthorn breeder. He had always had strong faith in the west and the cattle business, despite the occasional depressions and hard times during his 58 years of ranching. Mr. Harder liked to impress upon his friends the value of their birthrights, saying that "only one born in Europe could appreciate the privileges and advantages of American citizenship." Besides his widow, Annine, he is survived by one daughter, Anne M. Harder at home; and three sons, Carl D. and John J. of Ritzville, and Max S. of Sprague, all of whom were associated with their father in his enterprises. Pallbearers were W. A. Hall, John Melville and Ralph Jones of Sprague; Clarence D. Martin, F. M. Rothrock and Herbert Meriman of Spokane. Dies In Spokane Charles Ebner, one-time Ritzville blacksmith, died last weekend in Spokane at the age of about 72. He lived here about 30 years ago and was well-known throughout the county. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, November 18, 1943 Mrs. C. Elliott 'Tucna Pioneer Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at the Washtucna Community church for Mrs. Calvin Elliott, 74, Washtucna pioneer who died in Sacred Heart hospital, Spokane, Armistice Day. The Rev. A. K. Walborn officiated. Burial was in the Washtucna cemetery. Mrs. Elliot came to Washtucna with her husband in 1902 and lived on a farm about five miles north until about three years ago when they moved to Cheney. Laura Alice Thomas Elliott was born February 11, 1869, in Ray county, Missouri. She was united in marriage to Calvin Elliott December 10, 1891.To this union were born five children, two of which are still living. She became a member of the Baptist church in Missouri in 1900. Besides her widower, Calvin Elliott of Cheney, she is survived by a son. Albert, of Washtucna; one daughter, Mrs. Matred Leek, Salem, Ore.; a brother, John Thomas, Salem; one sister, Maggie Wilkins, Ladonia, Mo.; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, November 25, 1943 None Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, December 2, 1943 Hold Last Rites For J. Griffith, County Pioneer WASHTUCNA - Funeral services for James Griffith, 72, of Sprague, former Washtucna resident, were held Tuesday of last week at the Washtucna Community church with the Rev. A. K. Walborn officiating. Burial was in the Washtucna cemetery. Mr. Griffith died in Sprague nearly two weeks previous, following a fall but funeral services were delayed pending the arrival of John Griffith, a brother, who was in Missouri visiting. James Griffith was born near Bowling Green, Mo., June 4, 1871, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Griffith. In 1894, he was married to Vallie Sue Thomas, who died 10 years ago. The family came to Ritzville in 1902 and later moved to Washtucna. In 1930, he bought the Willis resort at Sprague lake, where he lived until his death. He is survived by one son, Hurley Guy of Sprague; and two brothers, John of Washtucna and George of Kennewick. August Horch Funeral Sunday Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at the Emanuel Lutheran church for August Horch, 86, resident of Adams county since 1908, who died suddenly Friday morning. The Rev. F. J. Ahrendt officiated. Burial was in the Lutheran cemetery. Although Mr. Horch had not been in the best of health in recent months he had been able to take his customary walks around the city until a day or two before his death. He died suddenly at 2 a.m. Friday. He came to this county in 1898 from Nebraska, taking up a homestead about 10 miles west of Ritzville, where he remained until 1910 when he bought a house in Ritzville and moved off the ranch. For the past year he has made his home with a daughter, Mrs. Elmo Erwin. August Horch was born September 1, 1857, in Warnsburg, Russia. In 1885, he was married to Marie Pfeifer, to which union five children were born. In 1891, the couple came to the United States, spending their first six years in Nebraska. Mrs. Horch died in January 1936. Mr. Horch was a life-long member of the Lutheran church. He is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Marie Erwin of Ritzville, Mrs. Anna Shideler of Seattle, and Mrs. Molly Pettijohn of Berkeley, Calif. Pallbearers at the funeral were all schoolmates from Warnsburg, Russia, the village where Mr. Horch was born and raised and all had known him both as a boy and as a man. They were Peter B. Kramer, J. Phillip Schroeder, Conrad Boos, Philip Werner, George Stumpf and Conrad Schutz. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, December 9, 1943 Lowell Sitton Killed WASHTUCNA - Word came to relatives Friday of the death of Lowell Sitton, 10, son of Mr. and Mrs. Owen Sitton of Davenport. The boy was killed that morning while on his way to school at Creston, when the school bus in which he was riding went off the grade on the Indian Creek road. His brother, Gerald, was at the wheel. Funeral services were held Monday in Spokane, from the Thornhill and Carey parlors, with burial in Spokane. Besides his parents, the boy is survived by two brothers, Gerald and Vester, and one sister, Betty, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Before moving to Davenport, the family lived in Washtucna. The parents are both employed at the Galena air depot near Spokane. R. Fontaine, Lind Pioneer Succumbs Robert Fontaine, Lind pioneer, died Sunday night at Ritzville general hospital, following an extended illness. Futher details and an obituary weren't available this week. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, December 16, 1943 Katie Baumann Pioneered Here Funeral services were held Tuesday for Mrs. Katie Baumann, 71, pioneer resident of Ritzville who died last Friday in a Spokane hospital, at the Trinity Methodist church with the Rev. Clifford Knight officiating. Burial was in the Methodist country cemetery southeast of Ritzville. Mrs. Baumann made her home here until last June when she went to Spokane to live with a daughter, Mrs. Clifford C. Kauffman. she had been ill for the past 11 weeks and died in a Spokane hospital. Katie Baumann nee Wirth was born July 28, 1872, at Freudenstadt, Germany, and came to the United States about 1893. She lived in the eastern states for a short time and then came to Adams county where she was married to John Baumann. They lived on the home place southeast of Ritzville until about 1904 or 1905 when they moved to Ritzville. Mr. Baumann was editor of the German section of the Ritzville newspaper for some time and then ran his own German newspaper, "Der Boebachter," until his death about 1913. Mrs. Baumann maintained her home in Ritzille after his death and was well-known here. Besides her daughter, Mrs. Baumann is survived by three sons, Theodore of Ritzville, Emil of Lind, and Carl with the navy in Alaska; two brothers, Ernest and Ben Wirth of Connell. George J. Meyer Here Since 1913 George J. Meyer, 74, resident of Ritzville since 1913, died last Wednesday at his home here after an extended illness. Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at Zion Congregational church with the Rev. Peter Ruder officiating. Burial was in the Ritzville cemetery. Mr. Meyer worked on the railroad a number of years before he lost his eyesight in 1927. He had to leave railroading and turn to farm work a short time before he went blind. George Jacob Meyer was born February 15, 1869, at Kolb, Russia. He was married to Susanne Schwartz January 28, 1900, and 10 children were born to them, of which three preceded the father in death. In March, 1913, Mr. and Mrs. Meyer and their family came to Ritzville from Russia and had lived here since that time. Despite the loss of eyesight he always had a cheerful disposition, even in the last days of his life. Besides his widow, he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Lydia Neutz of Beaverton, Ore.; and six sons, Henry of Portland, George of Benton City, Wash., Jacob with the army corps at Victoria, Tex., Alex at Toledo, Ore., Alvin with the navy and home on a 56-day leave, and Ben, with the navy stationed at Farragut, Ida. Pallbearers at the funeral were his six sons. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, December 23, 1943 Mrs. Dempsey Dies WASHTUCNA - The Rev. A. K. Walborn, was in Pasco Monday to conduct funeral services for Mrs. John Dempsey, 67, who died Saturday in Yakima after a short illness. Burial was in Pasco. Ray Sitton, James Woodyard and Walter Little served as pallbearers. Nella Clanton was born September 4, 1874, in Clinton, Tenn. At the age of seven, she moved with her parents to Centerville, Wash., where her father was pastor of the Baptist church for many years. She was a regular attendant at the church, and an ardent worker. On December 25, 1894, she was married to John Dempsey, and, immediately after the ceremony the couple came to Yakima, where Dempsey was a teacher for many years. About 1926 they moved to Pasco, where they lived for 13 years, until the death of Mr. Dempsey. Since then she has made her home in Yakima. Prior to living in Pasco, they lived near Washtucna, at which time Mr. Dempsey taught school at Hooper. Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Theopa Bachman of Washtucna, and Mrs. Nita Hill of Yakima, and seven grandchildren. Ritzville Journal-Times, Thursday, December 30, 1943 Harry Graham Dies Suddenly Funeral services were held his morning in Yakima for Harry Graham, 57, prominent Washtucna farmer who died suddenly last Friday in Tacoma while visiting friends and relatives. Burial will be in a Yakima cemetery. Although he was known to have been suffering from a heart ailment, he had been feeling much better since going to the coast a few days before his death. Full details of his life were not available since members of the family could not be reached this week. He had lived between Ralston and Washtucna for about 10 or 12 years, coming there from Klickitat county. Besides his widow, Zora, he is survived by one son, Ralph, with the navy at Farragut training station; a brother, Ed, of Ritzville; and a sister, Ora, of Yakima. Hold Last Rites For Mrs. Kanzler Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at the Zion Congregational church for Mrs. John Kanzler, 69, Ritzville matron who died last Thursday after a lingering illness. The Rev. Peter Ruder officiated. Burial was in the Ritzville cemetery. Mrs. Kanzler nee Weber was born at Neu-Freudental, South Russia, January 5, 1874, and came with her parents to the United States in the same year. They lived for eight years near Yankton, S. D., and in 1882 moved to Parkston, S. D., where they lived on a farm. In 1892, she was married to Gottlieb Teske, to which union were born six children. Mr. Teske died in 1925, and she left Parkston with her three remaining children to join her three sons in Sacramento, Calif. On December 30, 1927, she was married to John Kanzler of Ritzville, and moved to this community. He died June 19, 1941. Since that time, Mrs. Kanzler has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Alex Floether, near Ritzville. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Floether of Ritzville and Mrs. Ed Preiss of Sacramento, Calif.; four sons, Emanuel Teske, San Francisco, Calif., William and Albert Teske, both of Sacramento, and William Teske, Denver, Colo.; two sisters, Mrs. John Hopp of Odessa and Mrs. Nathan Reimann of Stockton, Calif.; and nine brothers, G. P. Weber of Ritzville, J. P. Weber of Odessa, H. P. Weber of Stockton, Calif., John P. Weber of Oregon City, Ore., Emanuel P. Weber of Areata, Calif., Leo P. Weber of St. Paul, Minn., Rev. Jonathan P. Weber of Biola, Calif., Sam P. and Philip P. Weber of Los Angeles, Calif. Pallbearers were Emanuel, Frederic and Albert Teske, Charles Minion and two sons of Alex Floether, Fred and Bernard. Day Imus, Former Resident Succumbs Day Imus, former Ritzville real estate dealer and well-known in Adams county, died at his home in Spokane last Wednesday after a lingering illness. Funeral services were held Monday, followed by cremation.