Obituary: ONALASKA GIVES FIRST SOLDIER SON: Otto Struck ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Eric B. Johnson ebjohnso@facstaff.wisc.edu 11:48 10/23/1999 ************************************************************************ La Crosse County Record Vol. XXXIV Onalaska, Wisconsin, Thursday, November 14, 1918 Num. 7 ONALASKA GIVES FIRST SOLDIER SON Mrs. Struck has received a letter from Paignton, England, containing the details of the illness and death of her son Otto. He was among a number of American soldiers who were taken from the ship on which they sailed to the American Red Cross hospital at Oldway, all suffering from pneumonia. Although he was attended by skillful American surgeons and nurses he died on September 28th. He was buried in the Paignton cemetery with military honors amid most impressive ceremonies. The body was conveyed from the Oldway hospital to the cemetery in a motor ambulance, the bearers being New Zealand soldiers. The ceremony was performed by an American chaplain and three volleys were fired over the grave followed by the "Last Post" sounded by a bugler. The casket was covered by the stars and stripes and a large spray sent by the American Red Cross and other beautiful flowers sent by the residents of Paignton. William Otto Struck was born in this city March 12th, 1888, the son of Mr. And Mrs. Otto Struck and has always lived here. He attended the public schools and took a business course at La Crosse. He was working in the offices of the Standard Oil Co. at La Crosse when called into the army on July 22 and entrained for Camp Grant with a quota of county men. He was married on June 29th of this year to Miss Lela Langford at Portage, who with his mother, Mrs. Struck, of this city, and two sisters, Mrs. Theo. Comeau of La Crosse, and Mrs. F. C. Vanderwater, two brothers, Earnest of Montello, and Louie, now with the American E. F. in France, are left to mourn his loss. He was a member of the German Lutheran church of this city and a member of the Masonic and Mystic Workers lodges. In the death of Otto Struck Onalaska has given its first soldier boy to the cause of democracy. He was a manly man of good morals and sterling character, with much ambition and good prospects and was a friend of all who knew him. Words fall far short in expressing the sorrow of the community and the hearts of all Onalaska goes out in intense sympathy to the bereaved relatives.