OBITUARIES: Frank S. BETZ, formerly of Eau Claire, Eau Claire Co., WI ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, or the legal representative of the contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kent Robarge 9 May 2001 ==================================================================== Frank S. Betz, son of George M. Betz and Lomira Noyes Surnames: BETZ, ROBERTSON, HELWIG, DRAKE, FREY/FRYE Obituary for Frank S. Betz (Feb 28, 1940, Hammond Times - Hammond, Indiana) Headline: FIFTH STROKE PROVES FATAL; FAMILY AT BED Hammond Philanthropist Retired as Manufacturer During World War. "Ill for more than two years, Frank S. Betz, retired manufacturer, philanthropist, conservationist and world traveler, died last night in his home at 5746 Hohman avenue, following his fifth paralytic stroke. He was 78 years old. Members of his family who were present at Betz' bedside said that death occurred at 6:15 o'clock. He had been unconscious since Monday when he suffered his last stroke. Dr. Stanley Brown, Betz' physician, virtually abandoned all hope for the aged man yesterday morning. Since he became ill on Feb. 1, 1938, Betz had made two partial recoveries, fighting off almost certain death. His first stroke occurred while he was in the office of Betz Investment company in downtown Hammond. In January, 1939, he contracted double pneumonia and was near death for several days. Survivors include two sons, Frank R. and Lyman, of Hammond; six grand- children, one great grandchild: three sisters, Mrs. John Helwig of Eau Claire, Wis., Mrs. Emma Drake, and Mrs. Grace Frey [Frye?], of Oakland, Calif. and one brother, George H. Betz of Eau Claire. Funeral services will be held Friday at 2 p.m. from the First Presbyterian church with Garfield lodge conducting Masonic rites. Rev. T.J. Simpson, pastor, will deliver the funeral eulogy. Interment will be held at Oak Hill cemetery. Betz was born June 11, 1861, in Eau Claire, Wis., the son of an officer in the Union army. At the age of 12, he was doing a man's work in a sawmill and blacksmith shop in Eau Claire. When he was 20 years old, Betz went to Minneapolis, where he became employed as a blacksmith's helper. Shortly after this, he took a position selling hospital insurance for a Minneapolis firm and inside of a year he had become assistant to the president of the company. In 1889, Betz moved to Chicago and entered the real estate business. The panic of the 90's cracked his bankroll, but not his spirit, and Betz took a position as manager of the Grand Rapids hospital and superintendent of agents in the district for the firm he had been with formerly. In was this position that resulted in the founding of the Frank S. Betz company, which was later to become the largest manufacturer of surgical, dental and hospital supplies and apparatus in the world. As manager of the hospital Betz was aghast at the prices charged for surgical instruments and he realized that they could be made and sold at prices 25 to 50 per cent lower. Suddenly the hospital company went bankrupt and young Betz was without a job or money. Betz built his first equipment, a Turkish bath cabinet, on $25 he borrowed in Chicago. Business prospered and he moved into a building on 75th street. In 1904, Betz came to Hammond and during the next 10 years his was a most active life. His business grew to its greatest proportions under his direct supervision. Betz retired from the active management of the Frank S. Betz company in 1914. However, he maintained an interest in the firm and was the largest stockholder at the time the company was sold in 1937. After his retirement, Betz' interests were varied, but his principle activities were the Boy Scouts and reforestation. He maintained an active interest in the latter up to a year ago when his health forced him to turn over management of this forestry business to his son, Frank. During his life, he sold articles on reforestation to American magazine and other publications. Like his wife, who preceded him in death several years ago, Betz was a charitable man and he manifested that charity in numerous philanthropies. His desire to aid youth, together with his love of the outdoors, resulted in the establishment of Camp Betz, Hammond Boy Scout camp at Berrien Springs, Mich. Hundreds of Hammond Boy Scouts visit this camp every summer. Betz was a member of Garfield Lodge No. 569 F & A.M., a life member of the Oriental Consistory of Chicago and the Hammond Kiwanis club. He had been a national representative of the Boy Scouts and at one time was a member of the executive board. Betz was the last surviving member of the original Hammond Manufacturers' association. He also belonged to the Illinois Manufacturers' association and the First Presbyterian church. Betz was perhaps the most widely traveled man in the Calumet region. He crossed the Atlantic ocean 41 times and the Pacific seven, he once told a biographer. Pallbearers at the service will be Peter W. Meyn; William Hastings, Charles Surprise, Dr. Brown, Samuel Greenwald, Dr. G.L. Smith, David Emery and James O. Dickson. His body will lie at the funeral home at 5322 Hohman avenue until time for the services, a member of the family announced."